Can hosts Germany stop scintillating Spain?
Make sure you cancel all plans on Friday night as there are two blockbusting quarter-final battles to enjoy one after the other, the first of which (8pm UAE) sees hosts Germany take on current tournament favourites Spain in Stuttgart.
Luis de la Fuente’s Spanish side have comfortably been the most complete team so far, having finished top of Group B after winning all three games without conceding a goal along the way.
They followed that up by thrashing Georgia 4-1 in the last-16, despite having to come from behind against the tournament debutants after Robin Le Normand's 18th-minute own-goal.
Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Nico Williams and Dani Olmo were all on target after the early scare in a scintillating performance that saw Spain enjoy 75 per cent of the possession and have 35 attempts on goal – 13 of which were on target – in comparison to Georgia's four shots, none of which stung goalkeeper Unai Simon's palms.
Young attacking talents Williams (21) and Lamine Yamal (16) were superb again, the former scoring one and teeing-up Rodri's leveller, while the latter produced a pinpoint cross for Ruiz to head home.
“This is the path we are in. Germany at home will be very strong but we have no fear,” said Rodri. “I’m sure they will be worried about us too.”
Who will win Mbappe v Ronaldo head-to-head?
Next up on "Fantastic Friday" (11pm) will be Portugal against France, which of course pits attacking behemoths Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo head-to-head in Hamburg.
Neither player – at opposite ends of the career spectrum aged at 26 and 39, respectively – has enjoyed the happiest of tournaments so far. Mbappe was left with an eye-watering broken nose towards the end of their opening 1-0 win over Austria, which has meant he has had to wear a protective mask for the rest of the tournament.
“You’ve got the sweat aspect and we know sweat can get in his eyes. He’s getting used to it [the mask], but it can affect his vision,” coach Didier Deschamps said after France's narrow last-16 win over Belgium. “Everything in front of him is fine, but there’s a delay with his peripheral vision.”
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has seen his frustrations mount as he desperately searches for his first goal in open play of the final, culminating in the Al Nassr striker breaking down in tears after missing a penalty during Portugal's last-16 clash with Slovenia. But the 39-year-old would redeem himself by scoring the opening penalty in a 3-0 shoot-out win after the match finished goalless after 120 minutes.
The real hero of the night, though, was goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who saved all three Slovenian penalties. “This is probably the best game of my life,” admitted the 24-year-old, who plies his club trade at Porto.
Has Koeman criticism brought Dutch to life?
The Netherlands suddenly sprang to life in the last-16 when they dispatched Romania 3-0 – thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo and a Donyell Malen double – which sealed a last-eight clash with Turkey in Berlin on Sunday.
It looked like the Dutch might suffer a classic smash-and-grab raid after they missed a host of chances with the score still only at 1-0, only for substitute Malen to settle their nerves with goals in the 83rd and 93rd minutes.
Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders said after the match: “We had some words in the dressing room [after the group-stage defeat against Austria], and today we wanted to show what level we can reach.”
Ronald's Koeman's side finished third in Group D, qualifying as one of the best third-placed sides, after losing 3-2 to the Austrians during which their furious manager substituted Joey Veerman after just 35 minutes.
Koeman did not hold back after the match – calling his team “awful, very bad” and “appalling” – but his brutal press conference comments resulted in the Dutch producing their best performance of the tournament so far.
Can Turkey's fervent fans carry team to semi-finals?
Turkey, meanwhile, will be hoping their ferocious support in Germany can help inspire the team to reach the semi-finals for only a second time in their history.
In what was arguably the game of the tournament so far, Vincello Montella's side ran out 2-1 last-16 winners over Austria thanks to a brace from Merih Demiral and a wonder save from goalkeeper Mert Gunok in stoppage time.
The match was played out in front of a deafening support as Germany's Turkish diaspora descended once more to back their team, dominating three-quarters of the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig.
Five of Montella's squad were born in Germany, which is home to nearly three million people with Turkish roots. “We are playing this tournament like we are playing at home,” said Demiral. “We are going to Berlin and we know there will be even more Turkish fans in the stadium so we are very excited.”
Will England finally turn up?
Four games into the finals and Gareth Southgate's England have yet to produce a performance anything close to justifying their tag as one of the tournament favourites.
Apart from the first 30 minutes of their opening 1-0 win over Serbia, England have looked turgid, tired and devoid of attacking ideas in every match.
They were seconds away from a humiliating last-16 exit against Slovakia when Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham rescued the Three Lions with a brilliant stoppage-time overhead kick, saving Southgate from what would have been a vitriolic reaction from Three Lions fans.
One minute into extra-time and captain Harry Kane headed home a winner that had not looked remotely on the cards for the previous 90 minutes. England goals came from their only two efforts on target over 120 minutes of action but dragged them over the line and into a last-eight clash with Switzerland on Saturday in Dusseldorf.
“We will build on the spirit shown and the belief,” said Southgate. “Equally we’re not naive, we’re going to play a [Switzerland] team who have looked outstanding for a while.
“We’re putting plasters over things and giving young players opportunities and we’re somehow finding a way.”
