Switzerland ran out of gas in a shootout defeat to Spain in the Euro 2020 quarterfinals on Friday. The Swiss had two tame penalties saved and a third blasted into the stands as Spain won the shootout 3-1 after a 1-1 draw in regulation. But take nothing away from the performance of goalkeeper Yann Sommer, who valiantly gave Switzerland a chance with nine saves.
Spain and Switzerland advanced from two of the most exciting matches we’ve seen in years on Monday. Now both have to refocus on the quarterfinal with just three days of rest. The18’s Spain vs Switzerland prediction, preview and how-to-watch guide will have you ready to find out if the Swiss can pull off another memorable upset, or if Spain continues to grow into this tournament.
For all of our Euro 2020 quarterfinal predictions, click here.
The18’s renowned data scientist introduced the team to an API (application programming interface) that gave predictions for games in the European Championship. We naturally took that as a challenge to see if we could predict the outcomes of games better than the algorithm. We’ll show the results from the Round of 16 before sharing our Euro 2020 quarterfinal predictions.
Five of our staff, including Grant the data scientist, took the challenge to outsmart the algorithm. After eight games in the Round of 16, this is what the leaderboard looks like.
While the Euros roll on through the knockout rounds, we have plenty of wild fan interactions already. From fans showing up to support their team in the wrong country to pitch invaders wielding rainbow flags, anything goes as fans are enjoying their time back. Football fans were kept from stadiums and fully supporting their teams for over a year by the Covid-19 pandemic, diminished to yelling at screens instead of faces, so we wouldn't expect anything less extravagant than what has been happening. Let's take a look at the best Euro 2020 fans so far.
If it seems like there have been a lot of own goals during Euro 2020, it's because they have been occurring at a rate unlike anything seen at an international tournament before.
The first European Championship was contested in 1960, and in the 15 tournaments up to now, there have been nine own goals. Through the first 41 matches at this summer's European Championship there have been nine own goals.
Euro 1960-2016: 9 own goals
Euro 2020: 9 own goals
En un partido antológico, maravilloso, impresionante y fantástico, España venció en la prórroga a Croacia y avanzó a los cuartos de final de la Euro 2020. Fue un 5-3 que será difícil de olvidar.
Los españoles llegaban al enfrentamiento tras una decepcionante fase de grupos, pero que alcanzó a salvar en su último duelo con un magnífico 5-0 ante Eslovaquia.
What. A. Game.
Spain and Croatia played the most entertaining game of Euro 2020 so far with a spectacular 5-3 victory in extra time for the 2010 World Cup champions.
The crazy tone for the game was set 20 minutes in when Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón made one of the biggest mistakes in the tournament so far. The own goal was officially given to Pedri who can now claim the honor of the longest own goal in Euro history.
This Spain own goal vs Croatia is going to go down as the craziest mistake of Euro 2020.
Spain had their metaphorical hand snatched on Croatia’s scruff for the opening 20 minutes of Monday’s Round of 16 clash. Sitting in almost total control, the only worry for Spain was a Croatia counterattack. Or so they thought.
If someone watching the game looked away for a split-second, they would have missed this unbelievable error from Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón. A simple back pass from Pedri turned disastrous.
Croatia and Spain are no strangers to deep runs at major international tournaments, but only one will reach the quarterfinals at Euro 2020. Both finished second in their respective groups and both will fancy their chances to advance. Read our Croatia vs Spain prediction, preview and how-to-watch guide to prepare for this tantalizing matchup.
The end of the group stage at a major international tournament is always a bittersweet moment. No longer are we treated to a feast of two-to-four matches per day, but with the knockout rounds beginning you’re left with the best teams going head-to-head in win-or-go-home matches. With that in mind, here are The18’s Euro 2020 Round of 16 predictions for the eight matches we can’t wait to watch.