Lautaro Martinez's fine goalscoring form continued as he sealed top spot for Argentina in Group A, with a 2-0 victory over Peru, who were eliminated from the competition.

With Lionel Messi out due to a groin injury, the forward stepped up, scoring at the start and end of the second half to ease any nerves after a slow first 45 minutes at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Leandro Paredes' miss from the penalty spot did not prove costly as Peru failed to threaten in what was a must-win game.

Argentina will face the runner-up of Group B in their quarter-final, while Canada take second place in the group after their 0-0 draw with Chile, while Peru make an early exit.

With a place in the quarter-finals already secured, Argentina made a slow start to the game - Alejandro Garnacho's deflected curler was their only chance in the opening 25 minutes.

The goalkeeper was required to keep things level shortly after, getting a strong hand to stop Paredes' whipped free-kick from heading into the top-left corner.

Giovani Lo Celso was then picked out on the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time, but Gallese parried his first-time shot before Garnacho fired the rebound just over the crossbar.

The half-time team talk worked wonders for Argentina, as Angel Di Maria cut Peru's defence wide open by picking out Martinez, who deftly chipped the opener over Gallese just two minutes into the second half.

Nicolas Tagliafico thought he had doubled their tally moments later, poking over the line from a corner, but it was disallowed as Lo Celso was blocking the goalkeeper's view from an offside position.

Argentina had another chance to double their lead in the 69th minute, with Jesus Castillo penalised for a handball as he slid in to block Paredes' cross in the box, and the midfielder could not profit, rattling the inside of the post with a powerful spot-kick.

In an almost carbon copy of his first goal, Martinez raced in behind once again in the 86th minute and lifted a lovely effort over Gallese, who could not get a hand to it.

Franco Zanelatto almost salvaged some pride for La Blanquirroja in the dying moments, but his thumping header bounced off the near post and, agonisingly, along the face of goal.

Martinez retains golden touch

Though Argentina were already into the quarter-finals with a game to spare, it felt like they might not be at their best without talisman Messi and manager Lionel Scaloni, who was serving a touchline ban.

However, Martinez has stepped up in this tournament, scoring in all three of their group games as he leads the race for the Golden Boot with four goals to his name.

His first two strikes both came off the bench, with his late winner sending the Albiceleste into the knockout stages against Chile, and he made the most of his first start in the tournament with an early goal in the second half.

It is just the third time this century that Argentina have won all three of their group games - the last two times (2007, 2016) they finished as runners-up, but Scaloni will be hoping they can go one better and defend their title this time around.

Peru go out with a whimper

This year's Copa America has been a tournament to forget for Peru, who go out of the tournament with just one point to their name - it is the first time they have been eliminated without a single victory since 1995.

La Blanquirroja needed a win to have a chance of snagging second spot, with hope that Canada and Chile played out a draw in the other Group A game.

However, they managed just six shots in the game, creating an expected goals of 0.14, and finish the tournament with a meagre tally of 22 efforts from their three matches without hitting the back of the net.

It was always going to be a tough ask to get a win against the defending champions, even with all of their changes, but Peru's starting front three of Bryan Reyna, Paolo Guerrero and Edison Flores not managing a single shot did not make matters easier.

Marseille have confirmed the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as their new head coach.

It was announced on Tuesday that the club had agreed a deal in principle with the Italian, before confirming he has signed a three-year contract on Saturday.

In a statement to the club website, De Zerbi said: "I'm delighted to be joining Olympique de Marseille, as I had a very strong desire to join the club.

"The history and prestige that surround OM, the passion and fervour of its supporters, and the seriousness and enthusiasm shown to me by Frank [McCourt], Pablo [Longoria] and Medhi [Banatia] were all decisive factors in my decision to embark on this exciting challenge.

"I can't wait to sit on the bench at the Orange Velodrome, this time as OM coach, and help the club regain the position that Marseille deserves."

De Zerbi, whose shock departure from Brighton was announced the day before the end of the 2023-24 season, led the Seagulls to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League after taking over from Graham Potter in 2022, securing European football for the first time in their history.

Brighton topped their Europa League group, beating Marseille in the process, but were knocked out by Roma in the round of 16 before slumping to an 11th-place finish in the league.

The French side, meanwhile, went through three managers last season, with Jean-Louis Gasset overseeing the end of the campaign as Marseille finished eighth in Ligue 1, outside the European places.

Julian Nagelsmann believes Germany will feel no added pressure after playing their "best" football at Euro 2024 so far during their 2-0 win over Denmark.

Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala both scored in the second half to send Germany through to the quarter-finals, though it was a game that also had three disallowed goals and a near-30-minute break in the first half due to a storm in Dortmund.

Despite that, Germany remained in control for large parts of the game, though Nagelsmann pointed out there is still room for improvement before they face either Spain or Georgia in the next round.

"The first 20 minutes of the game was the best we've played at the tournament and then the rain break unsettled everyone," Nagelsmann said.

"Denmark didn't have a shot in the first half, but in the second half put more pressure on us. There's a lot of work to do ahead of the quarter-finals, we need to be a little more patient in the build-up phase and wait for our moments."

Asked if the fans' expectations will rise after Germany won their first knockout game for eight years, Nagelsmann added: "I think we have no more pressure than usual. I think the fans and also the expectation of our fans is a big push for us.

"We can deal with the pressure. For me, it's still a privilege, and we also tell the players it's a privilege to play soccer games under pressure. All the players are used to dealing with it, so it's no problem."

Nico Schlotterbeck was one of those denied by VAR after he thought he had scored his first goal for the national team after just five minutes before it was disallowed for a foul in the build-up.

He later set up Musiala's strike though, with the defender echoing the praise of their manager.

"I think we had a super game and hope that the fans in Dortmund enjoyed it," said Schlotterbeck. "I'm very happy for the team, it's reward for the hard work.

"The break for the rain, we handled well. We played with euphoria and with pleasure, and now we go to Stuttgart [for the quarter-final]."

Sergino Dest has completed a permanent move to PSV from Barcelona, signing a four-year contract with the club.

The defender joined PSV on loan at the start of last season, helping them to win their first Eredivisie title in six years.

He made 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and adding seven assists.

PSV's loan deal for Dest included a future option to buy, with the Dutch side now choosing to trigger that, signing him on a free transfer that will keep him at the club until 2028.

"PSV believe in me and I feel greatly appreciated here," said Dest.

"I'm really looking forward to playing again, being important and winning titles."

Dest joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2020, making 51 league appearances in his first two seasons before loan spells at Milan in 2022-23 and PSV.

Luis de la Fuente says Spain will not make the mistake of underestimating Euro 2024 surprise package Georgia in the round of 16.

Spain cruised through the so-called 'group of death', winning all three of their games against Croatia, Italy and Albania without conceding a single goal.

Meanwhile, Georgia progressed as one of the best third-place teams after stunning Euro 2016 champions Portugal with a 2-0 victory in their final group game.

La Roja also met Georgia in Euro 2024 qualifying, earning a memorable 7-1 victory in the away fixture.

However, De la Fuente was quick to praise the improvement in their opponents since that meeting, noting that Spain had to expect a bigger challenge this time around.

"It was a very important game for us, we arrived [in Georgia] under a lot of pressure, and we came back from that game as a family, a lot stronger than before," said De la Fuente.

"The most important game is always the next one and now a different European Championship starts. We are bracing for a very difficult game, and we will go with the best weapons we have to get out with a win.

"We all have seen surprising things happen in football and I don't think that will stop happening.

"Georgia beat Portugal, we have to respect them as opponents, work hard and take the game with the importance that it has so it doesn't happen to us.

"They are fast in the counter-attack and very good in the set-pieces. We need to be vigilant and aware, so we don't end up exposed to counter-attacks in speed."

The knockout rounds of Euro 2024 got underway on Saturday, with the first two teams booking their places in the quarter-finals.

Switzerland stunned the defending champions, sending Italy home after a 2-0 victory in Berlin.

Later, Germany also prevailed by the same scoreline to take a step closer to potential success on home soil, beating Denmark.

Here, we round up the best Opta statistics from the first set of Euro 2024 round-of-16 ties.

Switzerland 2-0 Italy: Vargas ends Azzurri defence

The teams on Switzerland's side of the draw will be looking over their shoulders after they dumped Italy out, largely thanks to Ruben Vargas' standout performance.

He set up Remo Freuler's opener before curling in a stunning effort himself, becoming the first Swiss player to score and assist in a knockout match of a major tournament on record (since 1966 - World Cup and Euros).

The winger's strike came just 27 seconds after kick-off in the second period, the second-fastest goal in the second half of a Euros match after Marcel Coras netted against West Germany within 21 seconds in Euro 1984.

Switzerland will face either England or Slovakia in the quarter-finals, reaching the last eight in consecutive editions after failing to make it out of their group in three of their previous four participations in the competition (reached the last 16 in 2016).

Despite being reigning champions, Italy were not touted as one of the favourites going into the tournament, and they struggled to mount a real title defence.

Their early exit means the reigning champions have been eliminated in the round of 16 at each of the last three European Championships, with Portugal losing to Belgium at Euro 2020 and Spain going out to Italy at Euro 2016.

In fact, Italy conceded more goals at Euro 2024 (five) than they did in seven matches at the last edition of the tournament, when they conceded just four goals on their way to lifting the trophy.

The Azzurri have ended a run of six games without defeat in the knockout stages (90 minutes only, three wins, three draws), with their last such defeat coming in the 2012 final against Spain, by a 4-0 scoreline.

This is also the first time they have lost more than one match at a single edition of the Euros.

Germany 2-0 Denmark: Musiala draws level in scoring charts

With plenty of VAR drama, and a break midway through the first half due to adverse weather, it was certainly an entertaining tie in Dortmund.

Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala were the heroes for the hosts with their second-half goals, with the latter netting for the third time in the tournament to put him level with Georges Mikautadze in the Golden Boot race.

In fact, only Wayne Rooney (four) has scored more goals aged 21 or younger at the Euros than Musiala (three), while the midfielder has also scored more goals in four games at this tournament than he managed in his first 29 appearances for the national side (two).

Germany are into their first quarter-final at a major tournament since Euro 2016 - reaching the semi-finals on that occasion - and their four-game unbeaten run at Euro 2024 is their longest streak in such matches since then.

Manuel Neuer continues to break appearance records every time he steps on the pitch - he now has the most caps at the European Championships for Die Nationalelf (19, overtaking Bastian Schweinsteiger), while it was his 39th appearance at major tournaments overall, levelling the midfielder's tally.

After another toothless performance in front of goal, Denmark will not be able to recreate their run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020. Indeed, they have failed to win any of their last eight games at major tournaments (four draws, four defeats).

Eduardo Camavinga is not happy with playing a limited role for France at Euro 2024, but he will remain patient in the knowledge he will get his opportunity eventually.

Camavinga was a regular for Real Madrid as they won the Champions League and LaLiga in 2023-24, playing 2,825 minutes across 46 games, 32 of them starts.

However, he has not been able to win a place in Didier Deschamps' preferred France midfield at the Euros, with N'Golo Kante returning to the setup to play alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot.

Camavinga played just 48 minutes in substitute appearances against Austria and Poland in the group stage and is not expected to force his way into the lineup for Monday's last-16 clash with Belgium.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, the versatile 21-year-old said he was unhappy with the situation but has faith his chance will come.

"This is not a positive outcome for me. The fact that I don't play much doesn't necessarily make me happy," Camavinga said.

"I know that one day or another, my time will come. You have to be ready, like at the World Cup when the coach asked me to come on in the final.

"You have to be ready during training. Me, before matches, I do the same thing, I listen to music, I do my warm-ups. 

"If my head is right, my legs will follow. A competition is not played with 11 players. The most important thing is to be focused until the end."

Camavinga also had limited gametime at the 2022 World Cup, appearing twice and starting once as France reached the final but lost on penalties to Argentina.

In that final – a thrilling 3-3 draw that featured a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick – Camavinga came on at left-back after illness struck the France camp.

He has also played in that position for his club, but he maintains central midfield is his preferred role, saying: "I still don't enjoy it, that hasn't changed. 

"But I'm a team player. If I have to play full-back again, I will. But it remains a position that I do not like."

Camavinga will not come up against his Madrid team-mate Thibaut Courtois on Monday, as the goalkeeper was left out of Belgium's squad despite returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury shortly before the end of the season.

Courtois has been frozen out since he stormed out of Domenico Tedesco's camp last year, and Camavinga says his absence will benefit Les Bleus.

"Him not playing is a good thing for us," Camavinga said. "Belgium are a great footballing nation, with great players. 

"The group stage is the past for them, like for us, and I think mentally, the Belgians will be stronger. This remains a team that can surprise us at any time."

Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin knew his team would "destroy" Italy in the last 16 at Euro 2024 when he saw the Azzurri had made a change of formation.

Switzerland are into the European Championship quarter-finals for just the second time after beating the defending champions 2-0 in Berlin, having also reached the last eight by claiming the scalp of France at Euro 2020.

Yakin's team were good value for their victory, leading Italy for shots (13 to 11), shots on target (four to one), expected goals (1.3 to 0.78 xG) and touches in the penalty area (24 to 12).

Azzurri boss Luciano Spalletti made several changes to his starting lineup for the match, reverting to his usual 4-3-3 shape after employing a 3-5-2 versus Croatia in their last group game.

After that match – a 1-1 draw which saw Italy sneak through Group B in second place – Spalletti hit out at reports that his players had forced the change of system.

Yakin believes Italy's revised setup played into the hands of his team on Saturday, telling SRF: "It's unbelievable what's going on here. We've enjoyed ourselves in every stadium. Big praise to the fans.

"I knew if the Italians came with a back four, we would destroy them. Then we would let them run. 

"Dan [Ndoye] closed down the midfield. His man, [Stephan] El Shaarawy, hardly saw the ball."

Switzerland will now face either England or Slovakia in the last eight next Saturday, as they bid to reach the semi-finals of a major tournament for the very first time.

Yakin has no preference regarding his team's next opponent, saying: "You'd have to ask the fans if they prefer England or Slovakia.

"We won an important game, and that's crucial. As for what happens tomorrow, and what comes after that, we'll prepare well again for our next opponents."

England face Slovakia in their last-16 tie on Sunday, with the Three Lions looking to reach the last eight at back-to-back editions of the Euros for the first time ever.

Euro 2024 hosts Germany booked their place in the quarter-finals, with Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala scoring in a 2-0 victory over Denmark on Saturday.

The tournament's joint-leading scorer, Musiala, curled in a wonderful strike after Havertz's spot-kick to send Denmark crashing out of the tournament.

Nico Schlotterbeck and Joachim Andersen were earlier denied openers following VAR reviews early in each half, while the game was also paused for close to half an hour amid a torrential downpour in Dortmund.

At the end of a dramatic encounter, Denmark are heading home while Germany have set up a meeting with either Spain or Georgia in Stuttgart on Friday.

Denmark got an early let-off as Schlotterbeck saw what would have been his first international goal ruled out for a foul by Joshua Kimmich in the build-up, after the defender headed home from a corner inside four minutes.

Germany kept the pressure on, with Kasper Schmeichel making a string of fine saves to keep out Kimmich, Schlotterbeck and Kai Havertz before Antonio Rudiger smothered Christian Eriksen’s shot at the other end.

A heavy storm brought the first half to a halt after 35 minutes but a near-30-minute break only revitalised Germany, with Havertz's header smothered by Schmeichel before Schlotterbeck sent another effort just wide.

On the stroke of half-time, the hosts' defence was cut wide open, but Manuel Neuer rushed out to smother Rasmus Hojlund’s first-time effort.

There was more drama early in the second half as Andersen, who coolly drilled his strike into the back of the net, was also denied a first international goal for a tight offside call against Thomas Delaney.

At the other end, the defender was then penalised as David Raum's cross struck his arm in the box, and with a penalty awarded after a VAR review, Havertz slotted into the bottom-right corner.

Havertz looked sure to double his tally minutes later after a lovely bit of skill to get in behind Denmark, only to dink his shot over Schmeichel and wide of the far post, while Neuer stood tall to deny Hojlund as Denmark chased an equaliser.

However, Germany got their all-important second through Musiala in the 68th minute, moving it upfield in three passes before the youngster curled in his third goal of Euro 2024.

Florian Wirtz thought he had added some gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time when he poked the ball into an empty net, but he became the third man to be denied by an offside decision.

Havertz closing in on greats

Havertz made a crucial impact for Germany in the second half, despite missing a host of golden opportunities throughout the game.

His penalty was his fourth goal at the Euros overall, with only Jurgen Klinsmann and Mario Gomez, who each found the back of the net five times in the competition, scoring more for Die Nationalelf at the tournament.

He could have moved to the top of that list against Denmark, having five shots in total and missing two big chances.

Meanwhile, Neuer made yet more history at the Euros, making his 19th appearance in the competition to overtake Bastian Schweinsteiger’s national record of 18.

Denmark struggle again

Group C was notoriously short on goalmouth action, with Denmark responsible for two of the seven goals scored, and they continued that trend against Germany.

Before this game, Eriksen was directly involved in 55% of Denmark's 42 shots in that group, attempting 10 and creating 13. He was the creative spark for them in Dortmund too, having (two) shots and creating a further (two) chances.

It has been a tough run at major tournaments for the Red and Whites lately, having only won three of their last 16 matches (seven draws, six losses), with this loss stretching their winless streak to eight such games.

The last time Denmark faced Germany in the knockout stages of a major tournament, they beat them 2-0 in the Euro 1992 final. While Kasper Hjulmand would have hoped that was a good omen, it did not turn out to be the case.

Luciano Spalletti has taken responsibility for Italy's Euro 2024 exit, though the Azzurri boss feels his limited time to prepare the team contributed to their poor displays.

The defending champions crashed out in the last 16 on Saturday, with Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas scoring as Switzerland claimed a deserved 2-0 victory in Berlin.

Following the Azzurri's defeat, the reigning champions have been eliminated in the round of 16 at three successive editions of the tournament, with Spain going out to Italy in 2016 and Portugal doing so versus Belgium at Euro 2020.

The loss was Italy's first in a knockout game at the Euros since the 2012 final versus Spain (90 minutes only), ending a run of six such matches unbeaten (three wins, three draws).

Spalletti only became Italy coach last September after Roberto Mancini quit to take the Saudi Arabia job, and he used Saturday's post-match press conference to remind reporters of his late appointment.

"I have to say this, even if it may seem like I'm looking for alibis. Before this competition the other coaches had 20 or 30 games," he said.

"I had 10 and I already had a gun pointed at me, saying that I had to win. 

"Then we had several injured players that I was counting on, and today we saw that in terms of the intensity we were inferior. Switzerland qualified in a fair way."

Spalletti was then asked whether he was likely to stay on as Italy coach in the aftermath of their worst Euros performance since 2004's group-stage exit.

The former Napoli boss has no intention of stepping down but admits things must change for the team, responding: "It's a natural question, don't feel guilty for asking me.

"It changes nothing for me in the sense that I take responsibility for what happened. 

"I picked the players. I am not happy with the performance we produced or the performance against Spain.

"I am partially happy with the other two matches we played. This time I rested them up and changed the team. 

"After the previous game, I blamed it on myself, regardless of team selection, for not making too many changes."

Gareth Southgate believes "nobody will care about the group stage" if England enjoy a good run in the Euro 2024 knockout stages, starting with Slovakia on Sunday.

Despite topping Group C, England came under fire for their below-par performances in the group stage after edging past Serbia in the opener before playing out draws with Denmark and Slovenia.

First place in the group means the Three Lions avoided the side of the draw including a lot of the favourites, but even that has not raised morale among the fans.

While Southgate accepted the criticism the team received, he was adamant that the real jeopardy of the tournament starts in the round of 16.

"Reality is that nobody will care about the group stage if you get it right? That is the reality, and of course, we have to deliver it," Southgate said in his press conference.

"The fact is you go into a different mental state. Everybody knows that knockout football is jeopardy. Everybody knows that, on a given day, an opponent can make it really tough for you. You know the quality of the opposition left is high and so it changes the mindset.

"It is about 'how far can we go?' We are trying to achieve something exceptional. But it is a step at a time and tomorrow is a chance to improve aspects of our game, to show composure in moments.

"The game will take us in different directions at different moments, and you've got to be able to respond and react in the right way in all of those moments."

If England do beat Slovakia, they will set up a quarter-final meeting with Switzerland, who knocked out holders Italy with a 2-0 victory earlier on Saturday.

Southgate said he was not thinking that far ahead, but that his side do not fear of what awaits them in the knockout rounds.

"It could be another brilliant night to create more memories for our supporters," he added.

"I have played in a semi-final of a major tournament, and managed in a semi-final and a final. Tomorrow, it's about the team progressing.

"We shouldn't have a fear of losing, it's about opportunity. We are trying to reach for something which is a challenge.

"We have lost matches before, life goes on. At that point, when you can handle the worst, you are free to try and go and win the game."

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.

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!

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%

France should hold no fear ahead of facing Belgium in the round of 16 at Euro 2024, according to Christophe Dugarry.

Les Bleus, who were among the favourites prior to the tournament in Germany, finished second behind Austria in Group D after some unconvincing performances.

Indeed, their goals came from a Maximilian Wober own goal and a Kylian Mbappe penalty, with France landing themselves in the tougher half of the draw along with Spain, Portugal, hosts Germany and last-16 opponents Belgium, who they play on Monday in Dusseldorf.

That has seen their chances of winning the trophy slip down to 13%, according to Opta's supercomputer, but looking ahead to Monday's clash with Belgium, Duggary, who won the World Cup in 1998 and Euros in 2000, feels France have nothing to fear.

"Of course, they have individuals, but I don't see why we should be afraid," Duggary said in his role as a pundit on Rothen s'ignee on RMC.

"If we are not capable of beating these Belgians, we [will do] nothing at the European Championship."

Dugarry pointed to Belgium's weak defence as a reason for France to be confident.

"[Timothy] Castagne, [Wout] Faes, [Jan] Vertonghen who is 37... They have a midfield with [good] players, but no one defends in this team. For me, they're an enigma.

"[Jeremy] Doku is the same as [Ousmane] Dembele. But given the criticism that we've put on Dembele since the start of the competition, we're not going to say better about Doku.

"I understand the Belgian supporters, who are disappointed. We've been talking to them for years and years about a golden generation. But the golden generation is starting to no longer be golden at all. They have no legs, no aggression."

If France are to take advantage of Belgium's indifferent performances so far, then they will need their forwards to be firing on all cylinders, something defender William Saliba is acutely aware of.

"It’s true we didn't score many goals in the group stage. When you don't score a lot, you have to be focused," Saliba said.

"But that's how it can be when you are playing at the highest level. But I have no doubt that the attackers will be there in the round of 16 and deliver.

"It's clear that we have to be more dangerous with our set-pieces, especially me. I think I haven't even touched one, so we can do better."

Belgium's attackers similarly misfired in Group E. In fact, only Serbia (3.8%) had a poorer shot conversion rate in the group stage than Belgium and France (both 4.2% - two goals from 48 shots).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

France - Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe netted his first ever goal at the Euros when he put away that penalty against Poland. It took his tally to 13 goals across major tournaments, with only Michel Platini (14 in 19 games) ever scoring more for France.

The new Real Madrid forward is also only two goals away from becoming the third French player to score 50 goals in all competitions, after Olivier Giroud (57) and Thierry Henry (51).

Belgium - Kevin De Bruyne

During the group stage, Belgium were the team with the highest share of their line-breaking passes being those that broke the opposition’s defensive line (18%).

And it was De Bruyne who broke the opponent's defensive line on more occasions than any other midfielder (11). If Belgium are to progress, they will need their playmaker on top form.

MATCH PREDICTION: FRANCE WIN

France have drawn five of their last six Euro matches (one win), having only drawn four of their previous 25 games in the competition (14 wins, seven defeats). Their round-of-16 match at Euro 2020 was a 3-3 draw with Switzerland, with Les Bleus eventually going out 5-4 on penalties.

Belgium, meanwhile, have advanced to the knockout stages of a third consecutive Euros, having reached the quarter-finals in 2016 and 2020. The Red Devils have won each of their last four last-16 games at major tournaments since losing to Brazil in the 2002 World Cup (0-2).

However, France have won all four of their previous matches against Belgium at major tournaments, scoring 13 goals and conceding only three.

Their only previous meeting at the Euros was 40 years ago, in 1984 – France won 5-0 in the group stages courtesy of a Platini hat-trick and goals from Alain Giresse and Luis Fernandez.

This will be France and Belgium's 76th encounter overall. Les Bleus have faced the Belgians nearly twice as often as any other team (39 meetings each with Italy and Switzerland). Meanwhile, Belgium have only faced the Netherlands (129 times) on more occasions than the French.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

France - 58.4%

Belgium - 20.8%

Draw - 20.8%