The winners, survivors and losers so far as dramatic Euro 2024 knockouts await

International tournaments always deliver the goods, and as Matchday 3 concluded, one can assume a handful of fan brackets have been destroyed.

The Euro 2024 drama continues to deliver. One half of the bracket was much lighter than the other, major stars were eliminated and tournament heavyweights struggled to impress.

Here are the biggest talking points heading into the Round of 16.

The winners

Starting the list with debutants Georgia is a must. Golden Boot leader George Mikautadze (FC Metz)– who has three goals and one assist – led the 2-0 upset over Portugal on Matchday 3. Georgia’s quality on the wings was on full display and they are the blueprint for mental fortitude. They reached the knockouts at their first time of asking, with Spain next.

Another shock was seeing neither France nor the Netherlands top Group D. Instead, the honour went to Ralf Rangnick’s Austria side. They feature a mix of top talent in Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund), Marko Arnautovic (Inter Milan) and Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich) amongst others – all of whom are clicking together at the perfect time. They now face Turkiye.

Reigning champions Italy also make the list after breaking Croatia’s hearts. Lazio star Mattia Zaccagni scored a perfect curling effort in the 98th minute to finish second in the “Group of Death” and meet Switzerland next. Looking ahead, Italy will need more than only goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG) to impress. Without him, it could have been much different.

Also from Group B, we have an impressive Spain. La Roja ended the group stage with three wins from three, five goals scored and zero conceded. They were the only country to finish with a perfect record and the only one not to concede, despite being in the toughest group draw. It’s Georgia next before true challenges against tournament heavyweights await if they progress.

Hosts Germany also scraped into the winner’s category by doing as expected and topping Group A. The blip against Switzerland erased their chances of a perfect group stage record but they still produced the most fluid football thanks to young stars Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich) and Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen). Germany face Denmark in the next round.

Don’t forget about Romania either, who impressively topped Group E on the final day of group action thanks to a Razvan Marin (Empoli) penalty. On the easier side of the bracket, they could be dark horses to watch moving forward. Sneakily, at that. Watch out Netherlands.

The survivors

Brace yourself for this category.

Let’s start with England, who were anything but convincing during the group stages despite one of the most talented squads around. The Three Lions tied for second-lowest goals scored (two) and Gareth Southgate must find out why his big names still aren’t firing. The camp seems cool, though, and will love the fact they face Slovakia next.

Now it’s time for the Dutch. The Netherlands always makes things much harder for themselves. Ronald Koeman’s men scrapped past Poland at the death before collapsing against Austria on Matchday 3. Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) and Wout Weghorst (TSG Hoffenheim) delivered, but as a team, they buckled. They stunningly finish third and meet Romania as a result.

Group F winners Portugal also survived by the skin of their teeth. They needed a stoppage-time winner in their opener against Czechia and shockingly lost to Georgia. Cristiano Ronaldo has yet to score, too. Somehow, they finished top, but it’s far from convincing ahead of meeting the big guns — Slovenia awaits.

Belgium’s Golden Generation is next on the list. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) and Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea) have been a shadow of themselves. They recorded a staggering 48 shots over three games but only two goals. It appears Belgium still can’t handle the pressure that arrives on the international stage. Can they prove everyone wrong in a huge clash with France?

Switzerland are another squad that will be thanking the football gods heading into the knockouts. Two lucky draws ensured Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen), Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire) and company moved on. Like Austria, the Swiss are littered with individual talent that’s finally clicking. They will relish a meeting with a strong, but not-so-convincing Italy.

Denmark are then the epitome of survivors at this tournament so far. Three straight draws and only two goals helped Christian Eriksen’s men scrape into the next round. They have been far from convincing in the attack with 42 shots. Battling hosts Germany won’t be easy.

One win, one loss, one draw and other results going their way also ensured Slovakia reached the next round. A stunning win over Belgium kickstarted their campaign but it was downhill from there. Still, they survived and face England in the Round of 16. Can they do the unthinkable?

A feisty victory over Czechia was enough for Turkiye to reach the knockouts on Matchday 3 as second in Group F. The winner arrived in the 94th minute and their unlucky opponents had a potential winner of their own ruled out minutes earlier. After also scoring the worst own-goal of the tournament, Turkiye can’t create their own bad luck against Austria.

The losers

Heavyweights France are first up on the list. Arguably the most talented squad in the tournament, they scored just once through their own accord. And it was from the penalty spot. The wasted opportunity means Les Bleus finished second and face Belgium next. Will they finally turn up?

Former Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric made headlines when he was awarded the Player of the Match award against Italy and was photographed with a massive frown. Conceding in the final seconds means his international career may very well be over as Croatia bowed out early.

Slovenia are another unlucky side after finishing third in Group C. They were level with Denmark on points, goal difference, goals scored and yellow cards to players. The deciding factor was assistant coach Milivoje Novaković also earned a yellow, meaning Portugal next.

Then we have Scotland. After a stunning Euro qualifying campaign, Steve Clarke’s side shot themselves in the foot right from the off. Their hammering against Germany showed Scotland still doesn’t have the experience and composure required to compete with the big guns. Things never improved as the tournament continued, and they finished bottom of Group A.

Alongside Croatia’s broken hearts, we have Ukraine’s. Despite finishing with four points (which the entirety of Group E did) they fell short of qualification for the Round of 16. Missing a handful of opportunities in stoppage time on Matchday 3 against Belgium will surely come back to haunt them.

All of the other countries who finished bottom of the group then of course make the cut.

Poland couldn’t find a way to maintain any attacking threat in the absence of Robert Lewandowski. Albania, predictably, finished at the bottom of the Group of Death and Serbia then missed major opportunities to take control of a dull Group D.

The unluckiest nations after the full-time whistle on Matchday 3 were Czechia (who fell short of the knockouts at the hands of VAR) and Hungary, who scored in the 100th minute against Scotland to potentially stay alive, but ultimately bowed out after Georgia’s masterclass.

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