Injuries for France ahead of Switzerland clash
Spain lifted after group struggles but eternal Modric awaits • Italy, Denmark into Euro quarterfinals
World champion France is facing mounting injuries ahead of its Euro 2020 Round of 16 match against Switzerland on Monday, with coach Didier Deschamps struggling for options.
The French qualified less convincingly than initially expected after drawing 2-2 against Portugal in their final group game, having won one of three Group F games.
France left-back Lucas Hernandez had to be taken off with a knee injury after the first half and remains doubtful against Switzerland.
His replacement Lucas Digne is also nursing a hamstring injury and looks unlikely to be fit for Monday, forcing potential changes to Deschamps’s defensive plans.
Digne’s replacement in the game against Portugal, midfielder Adrien Rabiot, has himself been dealing with a nagging ankle injury since the end of the season and is not yet at 100%.
To make matters worse, Thomas Lemar suffered a leg injury and Marcus Thuram hurt his right thigh in training on Thursday, hobbling off the pitch with the support of medical staff.
France is already without Ousmane Dembele after the forward had to be taken off injured in the second group game against Hungary. Demebele has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament and will require knee surgery.
But despite the injuries France remain the clear favorite for the game against the Swiss.
Deschamps, attempting to become the first man to win World Cups and Euros both as player and coach, may be struggling with fit defenders but he has won back a striker.
Karim Benzema, who was recalled to the national team for the tournament after a nearly six-year absence, scored twice against Portugal.
The French have also never lost to the Swiss in a competitive game. While they are very familiar with the latter stages of a tournament, their opponents have not reached a quarterfinal of a major tournament in 67 years, ever since the 1954 World Cup which they hosted.
Switzerland qualified as one of the best third-placed teams.
“Anything can happen in a tournament,” said Switzerland defender Ricardo Rodriguez. “We are fit and ready. We have to be compact in defense and use our few chances. We know the French have a fantastic bench as well.”
“We will give it all we have. We have already trained penalties and almost everyone scored,” he smiled.
The winners will play the winners of the Round of 16 tie between Spain and Croatia.
Spain, meanwhile, has finally clicked into gear after a sloppy start at Euro 2020, but will face its sternest test yet in Croatia, led by a sensational Luka Modric who keeps raging against the dying of the light.
The champagne certainly flowed in Spain’s 5-0 win over Slovakia as coach Luis Enrique had promised after dull draws with
Sweden and Poland but his side had the luck of facing an accommodating opponent and Croatia will not be so generous.
“In every sport they play, Croatians are always very competitive, they are lion-hearted and give everything for their country,” said Spain forward Dani Olmo, who spent five years at Croatia’s premier club Dinamo Zagreb.
“There’s no favourite in this fixture, it’s anyone’s game.”
Croatia will need the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner Modric at his best, as winger Ivan Perisic was ruled out of the clash and possibly the rest of the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19 and going into a 10-day isolation.
Perisic saved Croatia with his equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Czech Republic and also scored late in the 3-1 win over Scotland, set up by a deadly corner from 35-year-old Modric.
Spain’s players know Modric all too well after nine magical seasons with Real Madrid, although they will not be able to count on any inside information on the midfielder as Luis Enrique decided not to include any Real players in his squad.
“He is their motor, the heartbeat of Croatia who conducts their orchestra. All their play goes through his feet,” Olmo added. “But Croatia is not just Modric.”
Olmo also said that unlike Sweden, Poland and Slovakia, Croatia are likely to come out and attack Spain and not just defend, which could play into their hands after struggling in their first two group games.
Olmo, who moved from Barcelona’s academy to Dinamo in 2015 before signing for Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig in 2020, also revealed that the Croatian federation had tried to get him to switch nationalities.
“There was some interest and I have a lot of affection for Croatia, but it was always my dream to play for Spain,” he said.
Spain may benefit from a smoother pitch at Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium, after complaining about the surface at Seville’s La Cartuja. Being away from a sometimes-impatient home crowd could also be a boon.
Spain was beaten 2-1 by Croatia in the Euro 2016 group stage and then hammered it 6-0 in the UEFA Nations League in 2018, only to lose 3-2 away from home two months later.
The 2018 World Cup runner-up Croatia will also be missing center-back Dejan Lovren through suspension, with Duje Caleta-Car set to take his place.
Caleta-Car said Croatia must improve
defensively after conceding in each of the three group matches.
“We’ve let in some soft goals as we haven’t been compact enough. Against Spain we have to keep it airtight in the midfield and at the back in order to close them down,” he told reporters on Saturday.
Midfielder Mateo Kovacic added: “They know we are a good team too so it should be a cracking encounter. Spain have phenomenal midfield players, but we can match them in every department. We have to take the game to them.”
Italy 2, Austria 1 (AET)
By the end of the night, it was all smiles in the Italy camp.
But behind the beaming grin of Federico Chiesa or the relieved expression of manager Roberto Mancini was an awareness that the Euro 2020 last-16 clash with Austria was too close for comfort.
Few expected the Austrians to put up much of a fight against an Azzurri side that glided through the group stage, winning all three games without conceding a goal.
But Italy toiled to a 0-0 draw, and had VAR to thank for chalking off a Marko Arnautovic goal for offside in the second half before goals from substitutes Chiesa and Matteo Pessina earned a narrow win in extra time.
It may not have been a vintage Italian performance, but it continued their remarkable run under Mancini.
Italy set a new national record of 31 matches unbeaten, stretching back to September 2018, while clocking up a record 12th consecutive victory.
It finally conceded a goal after 1,168 minutes (19 hours, 28 minutes) at the death, but goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma still surpassed Dino Zoff’s previous Italian clean sheet record of 1,143 minutes.
Italy’s subdued performance did not stem the enthusiasm that has grown in the country since it opened Euro 2020 with a 3-0 thumping of Turkey in Rome.
Gazzetta dello Sport’s front page proclaimed the team “Lions of Italy”, while
Corriere dello Sport issued a plea to the players: “Don’t wake us up!”
But beyond the hype, there is a belief that Italy’s fright may prove helpful for the rest of the tournament, with a quarterfinal against Belgium or Portugal coming next.
“Wins like this help a team to grow, to find more self-assurance, to be aware of their abilities. This was an exam, and we passed it,” former Premier League-winning Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri told Gazzetta dello Sport.
The sentiment was shared inside the squad.
“We knew that it was not easy. We did well to never give up, especially in the difficult moments. This will help us be better when we face our next matches,” Donnarumma said.
Mancini even went as far as to say he thought the Austrians were provided a tougher test than they will get in the next round against one of the tournament favourites.
Time will tell, but for now Italy go on with more belief than ever after showing it can win the hard way.
Denmark 4, Wales 0
Also, dominant Denmark thrashed Wales to sweep into the quarterfinals and continues a wave of positive emotion generated by sympathy for Christian Eriksen.
The midfielder, who is recovering from a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s opening game, was remembered at the start of the last-16 game in Amsterdam, again inspiring teammates.
Forward Kasper Dolberg struck in each half while Joakim Maehle and Martin Braithwaite got in on the act late on, enabling Danes to dream of repeating their 1992 Euros win while banishing Welsh hopes of matching their 2016 semifinal run.
Dolberg, making his first start of the tournament, gave his side the lead with a fine individual goal in the 27th minute, curling into the top corner from outside the area.
He doubled Denmark’s advantage in Amsterdam early in the second half, ruthlessly pouncing on a loose ball after Wales failed to clear a cross following a galloping run down the right wing from Dolberg’s strike partner Braithwaite.
“This is total madness. It’s surreal. It was here it all started for me, and to play here again in this setting was insane,” said Dolberg, who began his career at Ajax in the same stadium.
Braithwaite missed a glaring opportunity to add to Denmark’s lead but Maehle sealed the win in the 88th minute.
Wales’ frustrations spilled over when Harry Wilson was sent off for a wild tackle on Maehle in added time.
Braithwaite finally got the goal he had craved by netting at the death, though he had to wait for a lengthy VAR review.
Denmark head to Baku next Saturday to face either the Netherlands or Czech Republic in the last-eight.
“It’s something bigger going on for Denmark than just what’s happening on the pitch. It’s obvious they’re doing this for Christian Eriksen,” said former Wales player Ashley Williams.
Denmark was playing away from Copenhagen for the first time but still counted on loud support as thousands of its fans descended on the Johan Cruyff Arena and outnumbered the Welsh.
Wales had a flurry of early attacks and talisman Gareth Bale nearly gave them an early lead when he went for goal from range.
“It’s not how we wanted the game to go, from our point of view we started very well and then the game changed,” Bale said.
“We tried to play in the second half but made a mistake to concede which killed the momentum on our side.”
Denmark hardly looked back from then on, dominating possession and chances as Wales failed to recreate the fighting spirit of its famous run in France five years ago.
“We needed to play at the best level we could today, we weren’t able to do it. We were up against an accomplished side. Tactically Denmark understood what they needed to do,” said former Wales coach Mark Hughes. (Reuters)
On TV: Euro 2020 last-16: Croatia vs Spain (live on Sport 3 at 7 p.m.); France vs Switzerland (live on Sport 3 at 10 p.m.).