Spain meet host nation Germany on Friday in the quarterfinals of the European Championship in an eagerly-anticipated match between two of the best performing sides at the tournament.
There is also a potential record on the line as Spain and Germany have each won three European Championships, better than any other nation.
Two of the most exciting talents will be on show in Spain teenager Lamine Yamal and 21-year-old Germany forward Jamal Musiala.
Match facts— The winner will advance to face France or Portugal in the semifinal in Munich on Tuesday.
— Spain and Germany are the leading scorers at Euro 2024, having netted nine and 10 goals respectively in their four matches. They have also conjured the most attempts on target.
— Spain has never eliminated a host nation, either at a European Championship or at the World Cup.
— La Roja is the only team to have won all its matches at Euro 2024, beating Croatia, Italy and Albania in the group stage before thumping Georgia 4-1 in the round of 16. Germany beat Scotland and Hungary but drew against Switzerland before eliminating Denmark.
— Germany hasn't beaten Spain in a major tournament since a group-stage victory at Euro '88.
Portugal and France meet in the European Championship quarterfinals on Friday and the match features a head to head between two of soccer's biggest stars: Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé. The winner will play either Spain or host nation Germany in the semifinals. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. local (1900 GMT) in Hamburg. Here's what to know about the match: Match facts — It's a match between two of the pre-tournament favorites but neither have been convincing. Portugal hasn't scored a goal in its last two matches — a 2-0 loss to Georgia and a 0-0 with Slovenia before winning a penalty shootout — while no France player has scored from open play at Euro 2024. The French have had two own-goals and a penalty from Mbappé.
— Ronaldo burst into tears after having a penalty saved in extra time against Slovenia. Appearing in his record sixth European Championship, he has yet to score — if he does, the 39-year-old striker would be the oldest ever scorer at the tournament.
— Mbappé will again be wearing a protective mask after sustaining a broken nose in France's group opener against Austria. France coach Didier Deschamps said after the last-16 win over Belgium that Mbappé might need to wear the mask for "months." — The match will be played exactly 18 years after the nations' meeting in the 2006 World Cup semifinals, when Zinedine Zidane scored the winner from the penalty spot. Ronaldo played the full match and the player of the match was Lilian Thuram, whose son, Marcus, is likely to feature for France in Hamburg.
Switzerland is on the verge of making history at Euro 2024, but a few months ago it was a team under severe pressure.
A dinner and some "super" red wine in Duesseldorf — where Switzerland plays England on Saturday — helped captain Granit Xhaka and coach Murat Yakin turn things around.
The Swiss team eliminated defending champion Italy last week and is a step away from the semifinals, which would be its best-ever result at any tournament.
Just over four months ago, however, things were very different. Switzerland had won just one of its previous seven games, and that was against tiny Andorra. During that time, Xhaka had publicly criticised the team's training sessions — and by implication Yakin — and likened the team's performance to a kick-about "in the park." In February, Yakin came to visit Xhaka for dinner in Duesseldorf, just up the road from where Xhaka was playing for the then-undefeated Bayer Leverkusen.
What exactly they talked about remains a secret — and so does the menu — but both men have said the dinner was an important moment in the bond between coach and captain. It may have helped that Xhaka scored his first goal for Leverkusen the next day.
Turkey will face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 after winning a thriller with Austria 2-1 as both countries reached the last eight of a European Championship for the first time since 2008.
Merih Demiral was the unlikely hero for Turkey, in soaking Leipzig, after bundling his team ahead with less than a minute on the clock and then thumping in the decisive header just before the hour mark.
Vincenzo Montella's side, who were missing suspended captain Hakan Calhanoglu but once again backed by massive support at the Zentralstadion, will take on the Dutch in Berlin on Saturday after their comfortable 3-0 win over Romania earlier on Tuesday.
Turkey were beaten 6-1 by Austria in March and Montella admitted he was hoping to get his own back for that embarrassing defeat.
"I denied it yesterday but today I can admit that Austria was the team I wanted so that I could get rid of that stain that as a coach I had on me," said Montella.
Turkey will again be able to count on their raucous fans in the German capital as they aim to replicate their run to the last four from 16 years ago.
That tournament was co-hosted by Austria, who played a full part in an engrossing match and on another day may have run out winners.
Ralf Rangnick's side were on top for most of the match and in particular in the second half, when they pinned Turkey back and conceded the second goal completely against the run of play.
Al-Ahli centre-back Demiral became the first European defender to score twice in the knockout stages of a major tournament since Lilian Thuram for France at the 1998 World Cup.
Michael Gregoritsch halved the deficit by forcing home Stefan Posch's flick on at another corner shortly after Demiral took his international goal tally to four in 48 caps.
But Austria couldn't capitalise on their dominance and went out after Christoph Baumgartner was denied a leveller in the final seconds of added time by an incredible Mert Gunok save.
"I believe if the game had gone into extra-time we would have won the game because the Turkish team were exhausted and we had a physical advantage," Rangnick told reporters.
Dutch ease through
Cody Gakpo and Donyell Malen, with a brace in the second half, eased the Dutch through to the last eight.
Ronald Koeman's side were heavily criticised after the 3-2 defeat to Austria which led the Oranje to finish third in Group D.
But they were impressive on Tuesday, creating a hatful of chances and running out deserved winners in at the Allianz Arena.
