England to Face Iceland
Croatia awaits Portugal
Having failed to hit top form in Group B, England will take on one of the neutrals’ favourites, Iceland whose last-minute winner secured runners-up spot in Group F for a last 16 match on Saturday.
Roy Hodgson’s men were unable to secure top spot in Group B thanks to draws with Russia and Slovakia and looked all set to be punished with a tie against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the knockout stages.
But a late winner for Iceland against Austria on Wednesday lifted the tiny nation to second in Group F and lined up a game against the Three Lions, having drawn their first two matches against Portugal and Hungary.
The tie will take place in Nice on June 27 and will see the winner progress to a quarterfinal match in Saint-Denis on July 3 - with hosts France one of the potential opponents.
In another development a Clasico clash between Ivan Rakitic and Cristiano Ronaldo is just one of the attractions of the second-round match, as the Seleccao scraped through with a thrilling draw
Portugal were forced to save their campaign no less than three times against Hungary, before Ronaldo’s double finally assured the draw necessary to progress.
A defeat would have meant early elimination for the Seleccao but a 3-3 draw sees them qualify as one of the bestplaced teams in third.
Opposite them in Lens on June 25 will be dangerous Croatia, who gave a warning of their talent with a 2-1 win against Spain. It was the first time since 2004 that La Furia Roja had tasted defeat at a European Championship, with Nikola Kalinic and Ivan Perisic overturning Alvaro Morata’s opener.
The game also promises a clash of Clasico rivals for Ivan Rakitic and Ronaldo, respectively of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The winner will advance into a quarter- final game in Marseille on June 30 against either Switzerland or Poland.