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As of June 19, all three rounds of the European Cup group stage have ended.

Finally, the qualifying spots for the quarterfinals were determined.

Group A: Portugal, Türkiye.

Group B: Croatia, Germany.

Group C: Netherlands, Italy.

Group D: Spain, Russia.

In the group stage of this European Cup, except for Portugal, the other three teams that qualified first in the group all qualified with a record of three wins.

This also makes the European Cup more popular.

After the group stage, preparations for the knockout rounds are also in full swing.

The drawing ceremony for the quarter-finals will be held on the night after the group stage ends.

The top eight teams of the European Cup were watching the draw ceremony in their respective hotels, and the commentary desks from eight countries were also analyzing the upcoming groupings.

As the champions of the last World Cup, Italy's performance in this European Cup is relatively poor.

Among them are the factors such as Totti, Nesta and others retiring from the national team, and the reason why core players such as Pirlo have not fully recovered from their injuries.

Italy's overall form saw them stumble through the group stages.

They entered the knockout rounds as second in the group and are about to face the top three teams in addition to the first in this group.

"The knockout draw is about to begin, and Portugal is probably the best result for us."

Italian commentator Aldo Serreira said.

If it were the previous heyday, he wouldn't care who his opponent was. Italy was very powerful, and only their opponents were afraid of them, not that they were afraid of their opponents.

However, during the group stage of this European Cup, they could clearly feel the weakness of the national team, and for this reason, there was also a trace of uncertainty in the knockout stage.

Needless to say, Spain restrains Italy in style.

It can be said that this is the opponent they least want to encounter.

Moreover, Spain's performance in this European Cup is too strong. They are the best performing team in the group stage of the European Cup.

Croatia has only re-emerged in the past two years, but thanks to a new generation such as Suker and Modric, the combat effectiveness of this group of young people cannot be underestimated.

Although they are the team of Dinamo Zagreb, this is no longer the group of young people in 2005.

Many people here have experienced the baptism of the Champions League, and there are many players who play in the five major leagues. In terms of hard power, they are currently the only players who can compete with Spain.

Although there are many veterans in Italy, they are also a little frightened when facing this group of young people in Croatia.

At the same time, in the hotel where Croatia stayed, the players were also watching the draw ceremony and discussing it.

Mandzukic raised the water glass on the table and took a sip, and said with a smile: "If you choose an opponent, Russia may be a good choice. After all, we have met in the European Cup qualifiers and we know each other relatively well."

"However, Russia's performance in the group stage has exceeded the European Cup budget period."

"That's right! They all have a feeling that their tactics and status have evolved."

"Russia is not easy to play against!"

"The same goes for Turkey, which almost overthrew Portugal. Group A is the most competitive group."

"Do you always feel that Italy's performance is a little too poor?"

Croatian players are also in discussions and awaiting the results of the draw.

Van Steyak sat in the front row and couldn't help but nod slightly as he listened to the discussion of the team members behind him.

These players are the most sensitive to the trend of the game, and their ideas coincide with his.

Italy has begun to decline.

From the traditional European giants, their strength has dropped rapidly. Compared with two years ago, how much strength can they retain?

"As long as it's not Italy, it's the same as Türkiye and Russia!"

Bilic said softly.

Hearing this, Van Steyak said: "I hope it's Italy."

Bilic frowned: "That's Italy! Europe is traditionally powerful, and our chances of winning are not good."

"No!" Van Stryak shook his head: "We have a better chance of winning against an aging Italy."

"This is different." Bilic shook his head: "These European giants are in the process of adjustment in the group stage, and their true strength will explode in the knockout rounds. Therefore, Italy is the most difficult to deal with."

Van Steyak: "They don't have Pirlo, De Rossi and Ambrosini to manage the midfield, but can they really resist our pressure?"

"You underestimate Italy's chain defense!" Bilic shook his head.

Van Steyak: "It should be that you think too highly of a declining Italy."

While the two were talking, a drawing screen appeared on the camera.

The entire hotel conference room suddenly became quiet.

The first team to be selected was Spain.

As the top team in Group D, they were placed in the first group.

The second one to be drawn was Croatia, who also ranked first in the group.

The two strongest teams were selected first, and the pressure suddenly increased.

Soon, the third spot appeared, Türkiye.

European Cup knockout group one: Spain VS Türkiye.

The fourth spot appears, the Netherlands.

Next up is Italy.

The second group of the European Cup knockout rounds has qualified.

Croatia vs Italy.

Seeing that Italy was drawn, Suk grinned slightly.

"You are going to play as a club teammate." Modric smiled and patted Suker on the shoulder.

Su Ke: "It's not a too bad result. It just depends on whether they can adjust their form. If they still perform like they did in the group stage, they won't have a chance of winning."

Finally, the European Cup knockout matches have been drawn.

Group 1: Spain VS Türkiye.

The second group, Croatia VS Italy.

Group 3: Portugal VS Germany.

Group 4: Netherlands VS Russia.

The focus of this round of matches is undoubtedly the match between Croatia and Italy.

As Belgium said, although Italy's performance in the group stage was poor, they are a traditional powerhouse after all, and their strength has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

At the same time, as an upstart, Croatia, how can they perform during the challenge?

At the same time, as Croatia's top star Suker, can he continue his form when facing many club teammates?

On the contrary, as Ambrosini, Gattuso and others who know Suker best, can they successfully restrict Suker.

After the draw, the two national teams of Croatia and Italy began to move.

Suker and others once again returned to the Austrian capital Vienna, where they will face the last World Cup champion Italy at the Happel Stadium.

On June 20, the match between Portugal and Germany started first.

Although after the knockout rounds, the smell of gunpowder became obviously stronger.

In addition, they may face elimination at any time, so the pressure on the players is even greater, and the game becomes more stalemate and heated.

In this game, the rhythm of both sides was very tight.

But Germany is better.

In the 22nd minute of the first half, Schweinsteiger passed and shot to help the German team lead by two goals.

On the basis of taking the lead, the German team showed strong ability to control the field.

Although Ronaldo assisted Gomez to get a goal back in the 40th minute, in the 61st minute, another pass from Bastian Schweinsteiger, Ballack possessed the God of War, headed the goal, and the score was opened again.

After the two sides made consecutive substitutions, in the 87th minute, Nani assisted Postiga to score, and Portugal narrowed the score gap.

But this was also the last goal of the game. In the end, Germany defeated Portugal 3:2 and reached the European Cup semi-finals.

Portugal and Ronaldo ended their European Cup journey on this day.

This is also the cruelty of the European Cup knockout rounds. The outcome is determined by one game and there is no room for slowdown.

Losing is losing!

Failure is failure!

If you want revenge and progress, you can only wait for another four-year cycle. But for a professional player, how many four-year periods can they have in their career?

For example, for Portuguese big brother Figo, this may be his last European Cup.

The first game of the European Cup knockout rounds is over.

Germany and Portugal completely ignited the passion and tension of the game.

Immediately afterwards, the highlight of the game is coming.

Italy, the last World Cup champion, will face Europe's upstart Croatia!

This is a challenge for these young people in Croatia.

It's also a tough battle for Italy.