Romania head coach Edward Iordanescu was left furious after suggestions his side could manipulate a draw with Slovakia to ensure Euro 2024 progression.
With all four sides level on points heading into the final matchday, a point apiece in Romania's game would have ensured both teams went through to the last 16 regardless of Belgium's result against Ukraine.
Iordanescu's men ultimately prevailed as unlikely Group E winners after their 1-1 draw with Slovakia, coupled with Belgium's goalless stalemate on Wednesday.
Yet Iordanescu noted claims his team would play for – or attempt to manipulate – a share of the spoils, blasting those suggestions after the match.
"I believe it was clear that both teams gave everything for 80 minutes," Iordanescu told reporters. "Everybody gave their best.
"To speak before a game and to throw mud to the teams and to the players and to our work and to our dignity is shameful.
"They should have waited and seen and then judged us, so this was shameful, it was not nice. They threw this garbage to us but not just to us but to the team, to our fans and to everybody.
"We showed that we have character. Romania all the time fights with character and if we were going to lose and go home, we would have gone home but with our dignity intact."
Former Romania international Danut Lupu had previously said in an interview with AS.Ro that a draw had been arranged and there was no point risking a loss.
Any such suggestions were rubbished come kick-off as the pair fired 22 shots between them, with nine on target in a close-fought encounter in Frankfurt.
Romania's reward will be a last-16 meeting with the Netherlands, while Slovakia will face England.
Iordanescu is certain to have the backing of the travelling Romanians again.
"Almost the whole stadium was yellow," he added. "They were so close. They followed us at the train station, at the hotel, when we went on trips, training, when we got back to the hotel.
"That's absolutely incredible. And I really hope that this will continue."
Switzerland 2-0 Italy: Vargas scores stunner as holders crash out of Euro 2024
Switzerland qualified for the Euro 2024 quarter-finals and ended Italy's title defence with a richly deserved 2-0 victory in Berlin, with Ruben Vargas contributing a goal and an assist.
Vargas curled a wonderful shot home from the corner of the penalty area just 27 seconds into the second half, having earlier supplied the cross from which Remo Freuler opened the scoring.
If anything, the scoreline flattered Italy, who produced another miserable performance after barely scraping through Group B with a 99th-minute equaliser in their last game against Croatia.
The result means Spain remain the only team to win back-to-back European Championships (in 2008 and 2012), with Luciano Spalletti's first tournament as Azzurri boss ending in disappointment.
Switzerland, meanwhile, will face either England or Slovakia in just their second European Championship quarter-final in Dusseldorf next Saturday.
Switzerland dominated from the first whistle and should have gone ahead after 24 minutes, Breel Embolo being denied by a one-on-one save from Gianluigi Donnarumma after latching onto Michel Aebischer's lofted pass.
They had their opener after 37 minutes, though, as Freuler's expert run allowed him to take in Vargas' low cross, his first touch sitting up nicely for a volleyed finish which beat Donnarumma at his near post.
Donnarumma prevented Italy from falling further behind before the break, pushing Fabian Rieder's clever free-kick against his post in first-half stoppage time.
Things got worse for the Azzurri in the first minute of the second period, Nicolo Fagioli carelessly losing possession from kick-off and Vargas curling a fine effort into the top-right corner.
Fabian Schar almost let Spalletti's team back in when he comically headed Fagioli's cross against his right post, and the other upright was struck with 16 minutes remaining.
Gianluca Scamacca could only turn his close-range effort against the woodwork as Italy continued to toil in the final third, and Switzerland almost added further gloss late on as substitute Steven Zuber flashed a low drive across the face of goal and wide.
Italy caught cold
As the players re-emerged for the second half and Spalletti hooked Stephan El Shaarawy in favour of Mattia Zaccagni – the man who sent Italy to the last 16 with his last-gasp equaliser against Croatia – Italy's supporters must have expected an upturn.
The Azzurri registered just one shot in the first half – a Federico Chiesa attempt with an expected goals (xG) value of 0.03. The last time they managed fewer efforts in the first half of a match was in a 2-0 friendly loss to Argentina in March 2018 (none).
Those Italian hopes were not realised, however, as the Azzurri conceded possession cheaply before watching Vargas bend home for one of the goals of the tournament.
Coming 27 seconds into the second half, Vargas' strike was the second-quickest ever scored after half-time in a Euros match, after Marcel Coras for Romania versus West Germany in 1984 (21 seconds).
Vargas the star in memorable win
Having seen Switzerland dump pre-tournament favourites France out at the same stage of Euro 2020, also failing to win two head-to-head meetings in 2022 World Cup qualifying, Italy were surely well aware of their opponents' qualities.
They were second-best in every department as Murat Yakin's team produced a polished display, of which Vargas was the star.
The forward – who plays his club football in Germany with Augsburg – became the first Swiss player on record (since 1966) to both score and assist in a knockout match at a major tournament (World Cup/European Championships).
He is the seventh different player to score for the Swiss at Euro 2024, their most goalscorers at any major tournament in their history.
Euro 2024 social round-up: Belgium's deleted Mbappe jibe, Gordon's new wheels
After two long days without any Euro 2024 action, Saturday brought the start of the knockout round.
But aside from the first two last-16 ties taking place in Berlin and Dortmund, there was plenty else going on around the tournament.
From Belgium's Kylian Mbappe gaffe to Anthony Gordon receiving a tongue-in-cheek gift, here is the best of the social media output from Friday and Saturday at Euro 2024.
Belgium backtrack on Mbappe video
France will take on Belgium in perhaps the most high-profile round-of-16 tie on Monday, and the Red Devils' social media accounts have upped the tensions between the neighbours.
A video posted to Belgium's channels showed comedian Pablo Andres, who works extensively with the Belgian Football Federation, asking; "who will kick Mbappe's shin?"
Midfielder Amadou Onana then answers with his own name.
The video was swiftly deleted and was the subject of an apology from spokesperson Stefan van Loock, who said: "The video was intended to be humorous but has since been taken offline.
"We would like to apologise to anyone we may have offended. This concludes the matter for us."
The video was not received particularly well in France, and on Monday, we will find out whether it provided Mbappe with any additional motivation… not that any is required.
Birthdays and anniversaries in England camp
It was a big day in the England camp on Saturday, and not just because Gareth Southgate's men were put through their paces for the final time ahead of Sunday's clash with Slovakia.
Both Jude Bellingham and Eberechi Eze celebrated their birthdays, the former turning 20 years old and the latter 26.
Saturday was also a big day for the Three Lions for another reason, though, as it represented the three-year anniversary of their memorable Euro 2020 last-16 victory over Germany.
Harry Kane was on target in that match, his diving header giving England a two-goal cushion and clinching their most famous win of recent years.
A repeat performance on Sunday would certainly be welcome.
Buffon still has it
Italy goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon took up a role as delegation chief with the national team last year, succeeding the late, great Gianluca Vialli.
The Azzurri's touchline representatives always look effortlessly cool, and Luciano Spalletti's Armani suit turned heads during the group stage.
Buffon took the style stakes to a new level when he arrived at the Olympiastadion in the Friday evening sunshine, though.
Food fights continue
A bit of friendly back-and-forth between opposing groups of fans helps to make a major tournament special, and throughout the group stage, supporters clashed over food.
Albania fans snapped spaghetti in front of their Italian counterparts in one viral clip, while France's baguettes got similar treatment ahead of one of their matches.
On Saturday, the official Euro 2024 account on X attempted to settle some scores by running through the most popular half-time snacks across the continent.
Gordon gets given stabilisers
England and Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon raised a few eyebrows this week when he was seen with a grazed chin, having fallen off his bike during what was supposed to be a recovery ride.
On Friday, he was presented with a pair of stabilisers by the Daily Mail, which Southgate will hope can prevent any further mishaps.
With England crying out for dynamism on the left flank, the last thing they need is another fall for Gordon.
Records tumble as group stage closes
Finally, Saturday saw UEFA publish a summary of the group stage, which many onlookers believe to have been the most entertaining since the Euros expanded to 24 teams for 2016.
From the Tartan Army's short-lived German adventure to the Netherlands' fans painting host cities Oranje, we have seen plenty of outstanding footage from UEFA's fan zones.
A record number of people, between 430,000 and 440,000, attended the zones through the group stage, while the tournament has also made waves online.
UEFA says the tournament's official social media channels accumulated 145 million engagements and 1.35 billion video views in the group stage – both more than in the entirety of Euro 2020!
Portugal v Slovenia: Pepe targets Selecao improvement after Georgia upset
After Portugal ended the Euro 2024 group stage with a shock 2-0 defeat to Georgia, centre-back Pepe knows more will be required when they face Slovenia in the last 16 on Monday.
That defeat did not stop the Selecao topping Group F and landing a round-of-16 draw against Slovenia, who qualified as one of the best third-placed finishers.
However, they are now on the same side of the knockout bracket as France, Belgium, Germany and Spain, and know they will likely have to beat multiple heavyweights if they are to go all the way.
At their last major tournament, the 2022 World Cup, Portugal set the record for the biggest margin of victory in a last-16 match at the World Cup or Euros, trouncing Switzerland 6-1.
They were, however, beaten 2-0 when they last met Slovenia in a friendly in March, leading Pepe to expect a tough test.
"Portugal were among the best teams statistically in the group stage," he said. "From the first game here in Germany to the last, the fans have always been with us.
"We know it's going to be a very difficult game, not least because of our recent history.
"It's about avoiding making the mistakes we made in that defeat back in March so that we can come out on top.
"We know it's going to be a very difficult journey. It's going to be tough, but we all have to be together."
This will be Slovenia's first-ever match in the knockout stages at a major tournament, and the 26th such match for Portugal. Since their triumphant Euro 2016 campaign, Portugal have lost three of their four knockout matches at major tournaments (one win).
They will once again look to Cristiano Ronaldo to carry the attacking burden, though this is the first major tournament in his career in which he failed to net in the group stage, in his 11th participation overall.
Pepe, however, has told fans not to worry about the form of their captain.
"Cristiano lives for goals, that's a fact. But have you seen his availability on the pitch to help the national team? It's incredible," the 41-year-old said.
"He's the player with the most minutes in our team, at 39 years old.
"He's doing very well. He'll do very well in the final stages of the European Championship. I'm certain he will give us a lot of joy."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Portugal – Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo has not scored in any of his last seven appearances for Portugal at major tournaments, his longest-ever drought at the World Cup and Euros. He has had 19 shots without netting in those games since scoring versus Ghana at the 2022 World Cup.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has had 12 shots worth 1.32 expected goals (xG) so far at Euro 2024, twice as many attempts as his nearest rival in the Portugal squad – Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (six).
Nine of his shots have come from inside the box, indicating he is taking up the right positions and is likely to break his goal drought soon.
He has also created six chances for his team, recording one assist to take the all-time European Championship record outright, with seven in his six participations.
Slovenia – Andraz Sporar
Slovenia have only netted two goals at the tournament thus far, but their strike duo Sporar and Benjamin Sesko have been a handful for defences.
They may both be awaiting their first goal at Euro 2024, but they have registered a combined 12 shots between them (seven for Sporar and five by Sesko).
Five of Sporar's seven efforts have come from inside the area, and he has a total xG figure of 0.98 in his three matches. He has also won 13 duels overall, four of them in the air, demonstrating his willingness to get through plenty of defensive work.
MATCH PREDICTION: PORTUGAL WIN
The Opta supercomputer has given Portugal a 76% chance of progressing to the quarter-finals. Ahead of the first set of knockout fixtures, only England and Spain (both 82%) were seen as more likely qualifiers.
Despite their slip-up against Georgia, which came with a much-changed starting lineup, Portugal ranked second for both possession share (67%) and total shots (53) in the group stage, behind Germany (69%, 57 shots).
Their defeat on matchday three halted a run of 12 consecutive wins in competitive action. However, they have not lost back-to-back competitive matches since Euro 2008, when they lost 0-2 to Switzerland in the group stage and 2-3 versus Germany in the quarter-finals.
Another player to watch in Selecao colours could be Vitinha, who leads all of his team-mates for line-breaking passes (29) at this tournament.
His pass completion rate under high pressure is also the highest of any player for his country (90% - minimum 50 attempted).
The Paris Saint-Germain man is brimming with confidence and his quality could be key against a Slovenia side likely to dig in, just as they did in group-stage draws with Denmark and England.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Portugal - 67%
Slovenia - 19.6%
Draw - 13.4%
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