The Czech Republic and Belgium earned their spots in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals after wins over the Netherlands and Portugal respectively.
Oranje Crush: Czechs Kick Netherlands Out
The Czech Republic won the five o’clock kick-off, upsetting Frank de Boer’s Netherlands in the process.
Dutch defender Matthijs De Ligt was shown a red card for deliberately handling the ball in the fifty-fifth minute.
De Ligt pinned all the blame on himself 😕 pic.twitter.com/NtjqCsapSI
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 27, 2021
The Netherlands had dominated the first but had nothing to show for it and the momentum swung in the second half.
Slavia Prague right-back Tomas Holes scored the opening goal in the sixty-eighth minute to give his country the advantage over the 10-man Netherlands.
Netherlands goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg came off his line and left it open for Holes to put his side ahead.
Frank de Boer’s selections and substitutions proved ineffective in the Netherlands’ first European Championship knockout game since 2008.
Tournament star Patrik Schick finished off the helpless Dutch with the second of the game and his fourth of the tournament coming in the 80th minute.
The Czech Republic will face Denmark in the quarter-finals on Saturday at 5 pm.
Belgium Down Portugal To Keep Euro 2020 Hopes Alive
Later on, the Belgians beat reigning European champions Portugal to earn themselves a date with Italy.
A Thorgan Hazard wondergoal lit up an otherwise dull first half and forced the Portuguese to attack Roberto Martinez’s side in the second half.
Fernando Santos’ selection of Renato Sanches and Joao Palhinha did not pay off as the Portuguese side failed to break down the Belgians.
Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to score his 110th international goal against Belgium, which would have put him out on his own in the all-time international scoring charts.
Belgium (0.23) 1-0 (1.56) Portugal
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) June 27, 2021
Santos’ side failed to take advantage of the opportunities they had, registering 1.53 expected goals on the night without finding the net.
The 101-year-old defence of Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen and Toby Alderweireld kept a clean sheet and helped their side progress to the quarter-finals.
Belgium will play Italy in their quarter-final on Friday at 5 pm.
