Euro-2024 – Portugal-France and Spain-Germany, finally the posters!

After three weeks without much emotion, Euro-2024 is getting down to business with two magnificent games for the first quarter-finals: Spain-Germany (6:00 p.m.) and Portugal-France (9:00 p.m.), Friday.

Prestige. These four teams alone represent nine of the sixteen Henri-Delaunay trophies won since the creation of the competition, three for Germany (1972, 1980, 1996) and Spain (1964, 2008 and 2012), two for France (1984 and 2000) and one for Portugal (2016).

The only one won by the “Seleçao” eight years ago leaves a very bitter memory for the Blues of Didier Deschamps, beaten in their Stade de France (1-0 a.p.), and they would like take their revenge.

Apart from the French coach, actors from this match will still be on stage in Hamburg.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who was injured early in the final, is still there, at 39, Pepe too, at 41, in central defense.

French side, Antoine Griezmann, the hero of Euro-2016 with his 6 goals, is also in the game, while Olivier Giroud is only a substitute.

Frenchman Antoine Griezmann, July 1, 2024 in Düsseldorf, Germany © AFP – OZAN KOSE

But “Grizi” is not in great shape at this Euro. He did not score, missed opportunities and his hybrid position on the right side against Belgium (1-0), in the round of 16, was not a success.

– No excuse for Mbappé –

Kylian Mbappé admitted that Griezmann was “in a little harder moment”, but he regretted that his partner is “a little butchered” by the criticism.

The captain of the Blues himself admits to “not having found all (his) legs” and not “to be 100%” before facing the Portugal of his youth idol, Cristiano Ronaldo, but “Kyk's” doesn't want it to be “an excuse”, any more than the mask that protects his broken nose.

And if Mbappé only wore a penalty goal, against Poland (1-1), CR7 did not score any. He even missed a penalty against Slovenia (0-0, 3 tabs to 0), cried, before converting the first shot on goal of the series.

Offensive atony remains the big problem for the French team in this Euro, they themselves did not score any goals in the game, two goals against their camp completing Mbappé's penalty for a starving spoils of 3 goals .

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French striker Kylian Mbappé (left) and France team coach Didier Deschamps, June 27, 2024 in Paderborn, Germany © AFP – FRANCK FIFE

On the other hand, his defense, in the great tradition of Didier Deschamps, is almost impassable: only one goal conceded, a penalty from Robert Lewandowski.

But to beat Portugal we will have to significantly raise the efficiency slider.

– Spain has won all its matches –

Spain and Germany do not particularly have difficulty scoring goals, with the two best attacks in the competition at the moment: 9 goals for the “Roja”, 10 for the country host.

This quarter in Stuttgart is also a rematch of the final, but older. In 2008, Spain of Fernando Torres, Xavi and Andres Iniesta beat Germany (1-0) of Philipp Lahm, now tournament director, in Vienna.

Luis de la Fuente's team left the strongest impression, it is the only one to have won all its matches since the start of the competition. She was almost never in danger, except when Georgia briefly led in the round of 16 before falling to Spanish rule (4-1).

Le Parisien Fabian Ruiz (two goals) is in the form of his life, and the victory in the 2023 Nations League has given this team confidence.

Germany showed solid, fielded one of the most attractive players of the tournament, Jamal Musiala, co-top scorer with 3 goals, but it experienced turbulence.

Switzerland was manhandled for a long time in the last group match (1-1) and Denmark came close to leading in the round of 16 before cracking (2-0).

Combo created on July 3, 2024: the Spaniard Rodri (left) and the German Jamal Musiala, respectively in Gelsenkirchen on June 20, 2024 and in Dortmund on June 29, 2024 © AFP – Alberto PIZZOLI, Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD

The winners of these two big posters will meet in the semi-final on Tuesday July 9 in Munich and will be able to watch the other two quarter-finals on Saturday: England-Switzerland (6 p.m.) and Netherlands-Turkey (9:00 p.m.).

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