England boss Gareth Southgate is proud of reaching 100 games in charge of the Three Lions, but says that statistic means nothing compared to the final result against Switzerland.

Southgate has been in charge of England since 2016 and has led them to a sustained period of relative success.

Having reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, England finished third in the Nations League the following year and then were runners-up at Euro 2020.

A quarter-final exit to France at the 2022 World Cup followed, but England went into Euro 2024 as favourites.

And while they have so far failed to deliver spectacular performances, the Three Lions are just two games away from another final.

"I'm very proud but it is the least important stat of the week," said Southgate.

"The only thing that matters is it is a quarter-final and my complete focus is to get my country into another semi-final.

"I'm sure in years to come I will look back and reflect with great pride. But at the moment it is the last thing on my mind."

Only two other England managers have reached the 100-game landmark; Walter Winterbottom drew his 100th match (3-3 with Northern Ireland in 1958), while Alf Ramsey won his 1-0 against Wales in 1972.

England have won 49 of their 116 matches at major international tournaments, and could be the sixth European nation to reach 50 after Germany, Italy, France, Spain and the Netherlands.

And Southgate knows the pressure is on to deliver.

"It is a fact of life. If you are in one of the most high-profile jobs in world football then there will always be speculation, assessment of what's going on, so I am not worried," he said.

"When I was a younger manager trying to forge a career you are worried about if the first job doesn't go well there won't be another job. So you are worrying about failing and getting the sack.

"Now I am older, I'm 53, I'm not worried about losing or what will go wrong. We have the chance to get into a semi-final. It is a positive thing to focus on. It has been my mindset for quite a while now."

Southgate has won 60 of his previous 99 matches in charge, with 13 of those victories coming at major tournaments.

Roberto Martinez insisted that Portugal must be proud of their players, describing their penalty shootout defeat to France as "cruel" in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. 

Having seen a fourth meeting between the two sides at the European Championships go the full distance, spot-kicks would decide who would face Spain in Munich next Tuesday. 

Joao Felix saw his effort bounce back off the post, allowing Theo Hernandez to send Les Bleus through to their fourth semi-final in the last five major tournaments.

Portugal squandered several golden opportunities on the night, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Nuno Mendes going closest for the Selecao.

Martinez praised his side's display, believing his side were the better side on the night.

"We have to be proud of our players because they fought and performed very well," Martinez said. 

"Football can be cruel. We wanted to give joy to the Portuguese people and the message is that the team gave everything and showed Portugal's values.

"It was a good game and France is a good team. We had more ball, we created opportunities, but we lacked precision and we needed to score a goal.

"We had a lot of opportunities, but it was a game of high technical and tactical level."

Following the full-time whistle in Hamburg, veteran defender Pepe was reduced to tears and consoled by former Real Madrid team-mate Ronaldo. 

Pepe, who has made 140 appearances for his country, became the oldest player to play at the tournament and is likely to have played his final match for Portugal. 

"Football is cruel and sadness is part of it," Pepe said. 

"We were aiming to win for our country and bring joy to our people. Five days ago we won on penalties and now we lost on penalties. It's cruel.

"The most important thing is to congratulate my colleagues for their commitment to the game."

France coach Didier Deschamps said it would have been "pointless" to leave a fatigued Kylian Mbappe on for the final 15 minutes of extra time against Portugal.

Mbappe was taken off at the interval in the added 30 minutes in Hamburg on Friday, with the score level at 0-0.

It remained that way 15 minutes later, though Portugal squandered two golden chances, with Joao Felix and Nuno Mendes failing to convert.

France ultimately got the job done in the end, though, triumphing 5-3 on penalties, with Joao Felix missing the decisive spot-kick.

Mbappe had a game-leading five shots, though they accumulated just 0.17 expected goals (xG), but Deschamps believes it would have been foolish to leave the 25-year-old on any longer.

Deschamps said: "He's tired, obviously. Muscularly, it's not easy with everything he's had.

"I saw him struggling during the first period of extra time. It was pointless.

"Kylian has always been honest with me and the group, so it was only natural to bring in some new blood."

Despite not scoring from open play so far at Euro 2024, France have now reached the semi-finals in four of the last five major tournaments. They will face Spain in Munich on Tuesday.

"It was a very tense, tight game," Deschamps said.

"It could have gone either way, even if we had a more difficult end to the game in extra time. Maybe we were a bit more tired. It comes down to details.

"I'm very happy for the squad, who played to the limit. We're going to enjoy being in the last four.

"It's becoming a habit but we mustn't trivialise it. It's to the credit of the whole group, those who play and those who can't."

Deschamps was left frustrated that he was not allowed to introduce Olivier Giroud, France's record scorer, for the shootout, though.

He added: "I couldn't bring Olivier on. The referee didn't take our request into account. I had this last change to make, and Olivier was a candidate to take the kick.

"There was a kind of tranquillity, [however], even if it was in front of the Portugal end."

Two nations are now just 90 minutes away from securing a place in the Euro 2024 final following Friday's action.

Spain were the first to secure their place in the last four of the tournament, as Germany became the first hosts of a European Championship to be eliminated at the quarter-final stage. 

Later on, France needed penalties to edge past Portugal, and they will meet Luis de la Fuente's side in Munich. 

After another enthralling day of knockout football, we take a deep dive into the best statistics from the day.

Spain 2-1 Germany (AET): Merino's late, late show keeps Spain perfect

Mikel Merino proved to be the hero for Spain as his first international goal got them over the line.

The Real Sociedad midfielder broke German hearts, netting the third-latest winning goal in a European Championship match (118:52), after Michel Platini for France v Portugal at Euro 1984 (118:53) and Artem Dovbyk for Ukraine v Sweden at Euro 2020 (120:36).

While Merino grabbed the headlines, the influential performance of Dani Olmo should not be overlooked. 

Olmo replaced Pedri early on in Stuttgart, making his mark in the 51st minute as he steered the ball home after being set up by Lamine Yamal, who became the first teenager to record three assists at a single edition of the Euros (all-time) or World Cup (on record, since 1966).

La Roja's number 10 has made an impact from the bench and is the first Spaniard to score two goals as a substitute at a single edition of the Euros, and the third at any major tournament after Fernando Morientes at the 2002 World Cup and Alvaro Morata at the 2022 World Cup.

Olmo also registered the joint-most shots (three) alongside fellow substitute Mikel Oyarzabal, and only second behind Fabian Ruiz (24) for passes in the final third with 23. 

De la Fuente's side roll on to their semi-final clash with France yet to lose at the tournament so far; they are only the third nation to win five in a row during a single edition of the finals (excluding shootouts), after Les Bleus at Euro 1984 and Italy at Euro 2020, both of whom won those respective tournaments.

For Germany, however, their woes in the latter stages of the European Championships continued. 

Germany have now lost three of their last four knockout stage games at the Euros (W1), as many as in their previous 12 at the finals beforehand.

Portugal 0-0 France (AET, 3-5 pens): Joao Felix flounders, Ronaldo crashes out

Joao Felix was the unlucky man to fall victim to the lottery of a penalty shootout, with his missed spot-kick allowing Theo Hernandez to set up a meeting with Spain in the semi-finals of Euro 2024. 

It will be France's sixth appearance at this stage of the competition, with Didier Deschamps' serial winners only bettered by Germany (eight) for semi-final appearances at the European Championships. 

Four of the five European Championship meetings between France and Portugal have now gone beyond the 90 minutes – the only fixture in the tournament’s history to go the distance more than twice. 

Despite the plethora of goal-scoring talents both nations have possessed over the years, the encounter in Hamburg was the second Euros game on record (from 1980) not to see a single shot from inside either box in the first half – the other was also France v Portugal in the 1984 semi-final.

Portugal have now gone three games without scoring a goal for the first time since a run of four from December 1996 to March 1997.

Excluding penalties and own goals, France are yet to score in their five games at Euro 2024. No side has ever gone longer without such a goal in the tournament's history, with Les Bleus attempting 86 non-penalty shots (7.25 non-pen xG) without scoring from one at this year’s finals.

Deschamps now has four days to rectify his misfiring strike force, and was given food for thought with the introduction of Ousmane Dembele with 20 minutes to go. 

Dembele created more chances (six) than any other player in this match. The only other player to create as many after coming on from the bench in a Euros game on record (since 1980) was Cesc Fabregas for Spain v Russia in 2008 (also six).

For Cristiano Ronaldo, his dreams of closing the curtain on a phenomenal international career with a second honour for his country were shattered in the most gut-wrenching circumstances. 

He had 23 shots across the tournament, but failed to score with any of them. 

Ronald Koeman warned against any complacency ahead of the Netherlands' Euro 2024 clash with Turkiye.

The Dutch are seen as big favourites heading into Saturday's quarter-final.

Indeed, Opta's supercomputer has handed the Oranje a 58.4% chance of progressing to the last four, and a tie against either England or Switzerland.

Koeman, though, shrugged off the suggestion that his team will be able to "romp" to victory, despite the Netherlands beating Romania 3-0 last time out, with Turkiye having overcome Austria 2-1 in the last 16.

"This is a different opponent with different qualities," Koeman said.

"They have played with four at the back, but also with five. Just like the Romanians, they showed a lot of heart in how they play. But we are more worried about ourselves.

"We are playing in Berlin for a semi-final, a great opportunity to progress even further in the tournament.

"But we're not just going to romp to a win, that certainly won’t be the case. It's going to be a very difficult game."

The Dutch clicked into gear against Romania, though they had not been particularly impressive in the group stage.

Koeman added: "It shouldn't be that we need a defeat to spark a good performance and come out of our shell.

"But we created a lot of chances and showed a lot of speed up front. It was good game even if the opponent gave us a lot of space."

The Netherlands have only progressed from three of their last nine knockout ties at the European Championship.

In fact, the Oranje are looking to win two knockout ties in a single edition of the finals for only the second time, after 1988, when they won the competition.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Euro 2024 hopes were dashed as Portugal lost 5-3 to France in a penalty shootout following Friday's 0-0 draw in Hamburg.

With the substituted Kylian Mbappe watching on from the sidelines, Les Bleus set up a semi-final with Spain as they converted all five of their spot-kicks.

The decisive miss came from Portugal's Joao Felix, who struck the woodwork with his attempt.

And there was to be no heroics from Diogo Costa on this occasion, as Theo Hernandez coolly dispatched the winning penalty.

The pre-game expectation of a tight, cagey contest proved correct, as for just the second time on record at the Euros (since 1980), neither team managed a shot from inside the box in the first half – the other match was also France v Portugal, back in 1984.

Hernandez stung Costa's palms with a venomous strike, while Bruno Fernandes became the first Portugal player other than Ronaldo to attempt a direct free-kick shot at a major tournament since the Euro 2016 final with an effort that soared over close to half-time.

A great chance for Fernandes on the hour, which was kept out well by Mike Maignan, sparked the encounter into life.

Maignan was forced into action again moments later, using his chest to repel Vitinha's shot before beating away Ronaldo's follow-up.

Portugal were then indebted to Ruben Dias, whose last-ditch block diverted Randal Kolo Muani's attempt wide, before Eduardo Camavinga skewed off-target and Ousmane Dembele went close with a dipping long-range effort.

Extra time, though, was required, with Portugal having the better chances in the added 30 minutes, during which Didier Deschamps took off Mbappe.

Ronaldo should have broken the deadlock, only to blaze over with the goal begging, while Felix headed into the side netting and Nuno Mendes fired at Maignan, as penalties beckoned.

Portugal's captain firmly put away his spot-kick, but Felix was the unlucky party as his effort bounced away off the left-hand upright, paving the way for Hernandez to clinch victory.

Time to make way

There were no tears for Ronaldo this time around. Instead, just a rueful smile while France's players wheeled away in celebration.

The 39-year-old has claimed this will be his final Euros, and he bows out having had 23 shots without scoring once at Euro 2024 (not counting his two successful shootout penalties, of course).

Ronaldo hugged his old friend and team-mate Pepe, who at the age of 41, delivered another fine performance at the back, and was the one in tears this time out. They have been two unbelievable servants, but for both of them, the defeat will surely call time on their international careers.

Pepe almost certainly will do, but whether Ronaldo wants one more go at a World Cup, remains to be seen. The question for Portugal, though, is whether they are better off without him.

Winning ugly

England have come in for much criticism at Euro 2024, but when it comes to winning ugly, Deschamps is a true master.

Excluding penalties and own goals, France are yet to score in their five games. No side has ever gone longer without such a goal in the tournament's history, with Les Bleus attempting 86 non-penalty shots (7.25 non-pen xG) without scoring from one at this year's finals.

Yet somehow, Les Bleus are on the brink of yet another final under Deschamps. France have now reached at least the semi-finals in four of the last five major tournaments.

They will take on Spain in Munich on Tuesday.

Julian Nagelsmann was frustrated to see Germany's chances of winning a home tournament slip away with defeat to Spain, although retiring midfielder Toni Kroos found cause for optimism for the years ahead.

Despite Florian Wirtz's late strike to cancel out Dani Olmo's opener on Friday, an even later goal from Mikel Merino, in the 119th minute, sent Spain through at the hosts' expense.

The 2-1 defeat was tough for Germany to take having worked so hard to get back into the match against perhaps the tournament's standout side in Spain.

Indeed, coach Nagelsmann felt his team deserved more, explaining: "It's difficult to hold back the tears. They did not deserve to lose today.

"We reacted well after the break. Spain had only two chances in the second half, and we were closer to the winner than Spain. We hit the post, we had a chance with a header.

"It hurts, it will take time to make it better, and a home tournament won't come again in my career, I guess.

"We had a good team that stuck together – you could feel after the opening goal that we were not satisfied; we wanted to give more.

"If we appeared as in the past, with no appetite, then it would have been deserved, but the team invested a lot."

Kroos had similar feelings, playing his last professional match, having bowed out of club football as a European champion with Real Madrid.

But after the disappointment of recent tournaments, including Germany's group-stage exits at the past two World Cups, the veteran was enthused by the experience of this run to the quarter-finals.

"We were so close," Kroos said. "Now, at the moment, our elimination covers it all.

"We wanted to achieve something big, and now that dream is gone. We will realise we played a good tournament, but being so close to reaching the next round is hard.

"We can all be proud, because we improved. I am happy to have helped Germany as a football nation to have hope again. In the future, I am convinced the team will succeed.

"But today, we are sad. We wanted to stay in the competition a bit longer."

Niclas Fullkrug, one of the stars of the tournament for Germany, almost came up with another decisive goal when Unai Simon saved superbly.

The Borussia Dortmund forward added: "It is very sad that it is finished.

"You have a euphoria, a united feeling in Germany – it was a long time that this was not like that – but now it is finished."

Unai Simon acknowledged Spain would have to recover their focus amid celebrations of a quarter-final win over Germany that felt "like a Euros final".

La Roja are still two victories from the Euro 2024 title, but they have cleared their greatest hurdle yet after beating the hosts 2-1 late in extra time on Friday.

Subsitute Mikel Merino headed a 119th-minute winner, with Spain earlier frustrated by a Florian Wirtz equaliser at the end of normal time.

Goalkeeper Simon was in no mood to talk down his side's achievement, even if attention must soon turn to Tuesday's semi-final.

"What we have achieved is historic, winning this game is like a Euros final," he said.

"We have already celebrated, but we have to recover because in four days we have a semi-final."

Spain and Germany had perhaps been the tournament's two standout teams through the first four rounds of matches, and this meeting did not disappoint.

"It was the match we were all waiting for, between two of the best teams in the world," said Merino.

"It could be a World Cup final or a European Championship final; the level of those who have come off the bench is very high.

"We have shown that we know how to suffer, that we have a great team."

Spain suffered physically as well as mentally in a feisty encounter that saw 15 cards – the second-most in a Euros match – even if they gave as good as they got.

Robin Le Normand's second yellow card of the finals will now see him miss the next round, with Dani Carvajal also banned. He was already set to sit out the semi-final even before a last-gasp second booking – and third of the tournament – saw him sent off.

Alvaro Morata also appeared to be suspended for a card from the bench in the aftermath of Merino's goal, but the caution was later removed by UEFA.

Regardless, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente is backing the players on the fringes of his squad to deputise in the same effective fashion as super sub Merino.

"Any of the 26 players are ready," he said. "Each one has his role at the right time.

"I am very proud of these players. Tomorrow we will recover, and we will try to have as many players as possible."

De la Fuente might also be without Pedri through injury following a foul from Toni Kroos that was not punished with a card.

The Barcelona midfielder was wiped out in the opening minute of the match and soon had to be replaced by Dani Olmo, who himself stepped up with the opening goal and an assist for Merino.

"Pedri was in pain," De la Fuerte said. "I think it was a red card [for Kroos].

"Whether Pedri is on the pitch or off [for the rest of the tournament], he's going to keep contributing."

However, the coach added of Germany's rugged approach: "These are games like that, when you're playing for so much, at this stage, you have to use all your weapons. I have no complaints about German football."

Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin has assured his side will cause England problems ahead of their Euro 2024 quarter-final meeting in Dusseldorf on Saturday. 

The Swiss reached their fifth-ever major tournament quarter-final following their triumph over Italy in Berlin last week thanks to goals from Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas. 

Yakin's side have impressed at the tournament so far, finishing second in Group A and drawing with co-hosts Germany in their final group fixture. 

Switzerland are hoping to create history by reaching the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time in their history. 

However, they come against an England side yet to sparkle in Germany but have lost just one of their last 24 meetings with the Swiss in all competitions (W17 D6). 

But Yakin is confident his side can rip up the script and carry the momentum from their win over the Azzurri into their clash with the Three Lions on Saturday. 

"We are happy just to be in this moment, to be doing this," Yakin said.

"We have played well and we were able to create problems for big opponents. 

"We are in good shape, we have a lot of self-confidence, and we have shown in several games that we can play against big teams.

"We played against the defending champion, we played well against the hosts, Germany. And so we will cause problems for the English."

The winner of the encounter will face either the Netherlands or Turkiye in Dortmund next Wednesday. 

England manager Gareth Southgate is satisfied with UEFA's "common sense decision" to hand Jude Bellingham a suspended ban.

Bellingham was fined €30,000 on Friday, while being hit with a one-match ban, which is suspended for a year dependent on good behaviour.

That was Bellingham's punishment for an overzealous celebration after he scored a stunning overhead kick to restore parity in England's Euro 2024 last-16 tie with Slovakia.

The Three Lions went on to win 2-1 after extra time, with Bellingham insisting on social media that the celebration had not been meant to cause any offence.

And while UEFA has punished the 21-year-old, Southgate believes the governing body has handled the situation well, with Bellingham available for England's clash with Switzerland on Saturday.

"I thought it was a common sense decision," Southgate said.

"When you score a goal of the quality that he did, at the age that he is, you are going to get a rush of adrenaline.

"There was no intent in the gesture towards anybody but communication he has with his family.

"From our perspective, we thought it was a sensible outcome."

It has been reported England, who have limped their way through the tournament so far, will switch to a three-at-the-back system against the Swiss.

Southgate, though, was giving little away.

He said: "We're always considering the best way to approach a game.

"We're always trying to prepare to give our opponents the best possible game."

Southgate, who will manage his 100th England game on Saturday, knows the Three Lions have more to give.

"You obviously want to play well as a team, your ambition is to play as well as you possibly can," he added.

"Every team wants to excite, every team wants to score goals. We've played opponents who have made it very, very difficult for us.

"And there's been a lot of expectation on the team in the early part of the tournament especially, so I feel that the team even in training now look in a different place mentally. They look more fluid, and I'm expecting us to play well."

Southgate confirmed Luke Shaw was fit and available for selection, though did not reveal whether the left-back would feature.

Mikel Merino's last-gasp header sent Spain into the semi-finals of Euro 2024 as La Roja beat hosts Germany 2-1 after extra time.

Florian Wirtz's 89th-minute strike had cancelled out Dani Olmo's calm finish in a frantic encounter in Stuttgart on Friday.

Yet having had the best chances of extra time, Germany became the first Euros hosts to lose a quarter-final when Merino brilliantly headed home Spain's latest ever goal in the competition in the 119th minute.

Niclas Fullkrug's header was just inches away from rescuing Germany and setting up penalties, but Luis de la Fuente's team, who had Dani Carvajal sent off late on, held on to tee up a clash with either Portugal or France.

Pedri's early injury saw Olmo come on, and the substitute sparked a slow-burner of a contest into life in the 51st minute.

After seeing Alvaro Morata lash over from close range, Olmo made no mistake when he side-footed home from Lamine Yamal's cutback.

Simon made a fantastic save from Robert Andrich's drive, before the post came to Spain's salvation when Niclas Fullkrug's effort clipped off the right-hand upright.

Germany should have been level when Simon made a calamitous clearance soon after, but with the goal at his mercy, Havertz chipped over.

But Havertz's blushes were spared by Wirtz, who drilled in off the post after latching onto Joshua Kimmich's knockdown.

Wirtz had the best chance of the first half of extra time, sending a low effort just wide, before chaos broke out.

Germany saw a penalty appeal turned down after Jamal Musiala hit Marc Cucurella's arm, and Simon saved a fantastic Fullkrug header.

With penalties beckoning, Spain broke clear, and La Roja were in ecstasy as Merino planted in from Olmo's inch-perfect cross.

Ferran Torres' poor finish moments later could have proved costly had Fullkrug's attempt been half a yard to the left, but it was not to be for Germany, even though Spain were reduced to 10 for the final minute after Carvajal picked up his second booking.

Spain call on the super-subs as Lamal sparkles again

Olmo is now the first Spain player to score two goals as a substitute at a single edition of the Euros, and third at any major tournament, after Fernando Morientes at the 2002 World Cup and Morata at the 2022 edition of that competition.

The RB Leipzig attacker is also the second player to have scored in two consecutive knockout stage appearances for Spain at the European Championships, after Chus Pereda way back in 1964.

And Merino's winner meant Spain have now scored two goals from substitutes in a single Euros match for just the second time, after the Euro 2012 final against Italy.

There has been no such scoring luck so far for Yamal at Euro 2024, with the youngster having had 13 shots without finding the back of the net (only Cristiano Ronaldo, with 20, has had more attempts and not scored at this tournament).

However, he again showcased his creative talents, laying on three chances and taking his tally of assists for the tournament to three. He is the first-ever teenager to record three assists at a single edition of the Euros or World Cup.

Musiala cannot find the magic touch

Jamal Musiala went into Friday's tie having scored in three of Germany's four previous games, and aiming to move clear at the top of the Euro 2024 scoring charts and match Wayne Rooney (at Euro 2004) as the only player to score four goals at a single edition of the tournament while aged 21 or younger.

Yet the Bayern Munich playmaker struggled to wield his usual influence on proceedings, creating only one chance, and though his fellow youngster Wirtz shined, it was not enough for the hosts.

There will be more major tournament opportunities for Musiala and Wirtz, but at the other end of the age spectrum, Toni Kroos made his final appearance before retirement. The 34-year-old finished the match with 83 passes attempted, the most on the pitch.

Turkiye will show even more passion after the "unfair" suspension handed to Mehdi Demiral, so says coach Vincenzo Montella.

Demiral scored both of Turkiye's goals in their 2-1 last-16 win over Austria at Euro 2024 on Tuesday.

That victory teed up a quarter-final with the Netherlands, but Turkiye will have to go up against the Dutch without their key defender Demiral.

The centre-back was handed a two-game ban by UEFA on Friday, due to having celebrated with a 'wolf salute', which is associated with a far-right extremist group Grey Wolves.

Montella hit out at that decision in his pre-match press conference.

He said: "We consider it unfair, this ban because it was not a political gesture. It was interpreted as such, but it was just something that was not properly understood.

"But this will not put a break on the Turkish pride. Actually, we will be more passionate, more proud.

"We want to make the country proud, and I'm sure we will all be highly motivated, and this goes for the fans as well.

"Our fans have been extraordinary so far, full of passion. They really have conveyed to us all the passion and love, from the hotel to the stadium, back to the hotel.

"We have always been very correct as well. And that's what I expect from them tomorrow – great support."

Turkiye have reached the quarter-final of a major tournament for the fourth time, and for the first time since Euro 2008, when they reached the semis.

Montella has given six starts to teenagers at Euro 2024 – three for Kenan Yildiz and three for Arda Guler – a joint-record in a single edition of the finals, along with Spain at Euro 2020.

Guler has been one of the stars of the tournament, but Montella knows that his young team must keep a lid on their emotions against the Dutch.

"They must show Turkish pride, they must be close to the team and support us, even when we are having hard times. Now regarding Merhi, we have to manage our emotions before the match, during the match, internal emotions, external emotions," he said.

"We are the youngest team at the tournament, and emotions factor in when you play these matches," Montella added.

"Some players are more experienced, they're used to playing certain matches, they're used to preparing for these matches and they have a bit of an edge.

"So we must be able to manage all of this emotional sphere and transform it into energy and field it because we're younger, and in a way we can have more energy, and this can give us an edge."

After two long days without any Euro 2024 action, the quarter-finals got going on Friday.

There were two mouthwatering ties on offer as Spain played Germany, while Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo went head-to-head for France and Portugal.

And what about the action online?

Here is the best of the social media posts from Thursday and Friday at Euro 2024.

New look?

The hosts have already caught the eye with their performances en route to the quarter-final.

And now, Robert Andrich has caught attention with a bold new style, possibly inspired by Germany's away kit at the tournament. 

Ultimately, Andrich did not get a chance to debut his new look from the start of Germany's clash with Spain, as he was named on the bench.

Walker the cheerleader

Before starting training for the day, Kyle Walker took some time to check in on how the goalkeepers were preparing for England's tie against Switzerland.

John Stones tagged along with his Manchester City team-mate, and almost got themselves into trouble after getting a little too invested in the session. 

Spanish goalkeepers put to the test

Things can get a little hectic in the penalty area during set-pieces with both teams desperate to get on the ball.

Spain have figured out an impressive way to give their goalkeepers an in-game experience during training.

Although, some of those shirt tugs would likely catch the referee's attention...

The Portuguese take over Hamburg

The Portuguese fans were out in full force before their round of 16 penalty shootout victory in Frankfurt.

They have now taken to the streets in Hamburg, with the hopes that their side can recreate the magic of the Euro 2016 final, when they beat France 1-0 to lift the trophy.

Back to their roots

France's squad is full of household names, with their players spanning the globe for their various clubs.

In a special photo shoot, they instead looked back to their beginnings, each donning the shirt of their first-ever club, and they gave a glimpse behind the scenes to see how it all came together.

The competition heats up

The Netherlands produced their best performance so far at Euro 2024 on Tuesday when they booked a place in the quarter-final with a 3-0 victory over Romania.

And their competitive spirit stretches past the pitch and into the game room at their training base.

While Nathan Ake showed off his interesting technique for a new high score, tensions were on the rise at the ping-pong table.

Jan Vertonghen has confirmed his retirement from international football.

The 37-year-old ends his Belgium career as the nation's most-capped player.

Vertonghen, who made his Belgium debut in 2007, made 157 appearances for his country.

He helped the Red Devils reach the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, a quarter-final at Euro 2020, and also played at the World Cup in Qatar.

The former Tottenham defender's final four appearances came at Euro 2024, as Belgium reached the last 16 – they were knocked out by France on Monday.

Vertonghen is a free agent ahead of the 2024-25 season, with his contract at Anderlecht having expired.

Daley Blind is embracing playing a more supportive role for the Netherlands, despite his lack of playing time at Euro 2024.

The 34-year-old is appearing at his fourth major tournament with the Oranje, who he represented at the 2014 and 2022 World Cups, as well as Euro 2020.

However, his playing involvement has been far more limited this time around, with the defender only appearing for the final minute of the 3-0 victory over Romania in the round of 16.

Blind was made aware this would be the case ahead of the tournament following a discussion with head coach Ronald Koeman, who encouraged him to use his vast experience to benefit the younger players in the squad.

"It's different, and it takes some getting used to," the Girona defender told reporters at a press conference on Thursday. "In this role, you try to help your team-mates, keeping them sharp and motivated. Some have it hard at times.

"You want to play yourself, of course, but it is a choice the coach has made, and I try to be a helping hand where necessary. I knew what my role would be after speaking to the coach before the tournament started.

"But the fact that this was going to be my role never meant for a moment that I didn't want to come to the tournament. It's a great honour to play for the Dutch team, and certainly at a final tournament."

The Netherlands are gearing up for a quarter-final showdown with Turkiye in Berlin on Saturday.

England or Switzerland will await the winners in the last four, where the Oranje are aiming to advance for the first time in this competition since 2004. 

"Hopefully, it will be a great match," Blind added. "Turkiye bring a lot of emotion and passion, so we'll have to be wary of that. It is a quarter-final at a major tournament, and that is always a tough event."