Tyler Adams says the confidence has returned to the United States' camp in the wake of their shock defeat to Panama.

The USA lost 2-1 in Atlanta on Thursday, with Panama taking advantage after Timothy Weah was sent off early on.

That defeat leaves the Copa America hosts in a perilous position in Group C. They are ahead of Panama on goal difference, but the Stars and Stripes must play in-form Uruguay in their last match, while Panama face Bolivia, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament.

But in spite of the pressure on Gregg Berhalter's team ahead of Monday's encounter with Marcelo Bielsa's side, Adams says there is a positive mood in the camp.

"We're all confident again, you know, when we have 11 players on the field that we can go toe to toe with anybody," Adams told reporters.

"The training was good today. I think we saw the intensity. And we're going to need that from the first minute against Uruguay."

Antonee Robinson is well aware of the stakes.

"It's definitely going to come down to a massive effort from the team," he said.

"I mean, if we're looking at realistically, there's a chance that this is our last game in the tournament, so there's no reason to hold anything back. We're all going to have to give everything in this game."

Uruguay hammered Bolivia 5-0 in their last outing, with Bielsa's team highly likely to top the group, albeit that could result in a last-16 meeting with Brazil, who are second in Group D.

Darwin Nunez is the focal point of Uruguay's attack under Bielsa, though the former Leeds United coach is not concerned with the forward's sometimes-erratic finishing.

"All players who are consistent goal scorers know how to finish," Bielsa said.

"But then they are also human and so they will have times where that capacity will be more evident and other times when it is less evident.

"Darwin is a player who does not need much support. The only thing that concerns me is whether he gets in positions, which he does extraordinarily well, to score, impact games, finish the moves, or choose where to place the shot."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

United States - Folarin Balogun 

Former Arsenal attacker Balogun scored a stunner against Panama, and also went close to a sensational second.

With his back-up, Ricardo Pepi, underperforming his 2.27 expected goals (xG), the pressure is on Balogun to lead the USA's line. He is doing an admirable job so far, with two goals in as many matches, so do not be shocked to see him keep up that form.

Uruguay - Darwin Nunez

Nunez has scored in his first two Copa America matches.

Only four Uruguay players have scored in their first three matches in the competition: Pedro Petrone (1923), Mario Bergara (1959), Vladas Douskas (1959), and Jorge Oyarbide (1967).

MATCH PREDICTION: URUGUAY WIN

The USA might need the points, but the Opta supercomputer is backing Uruguay.

Uruguay have not started with three victories in a row since 1959, when they defeated Ecuador (4-0), Brazil (3-0) and Argentina (5-0).

These teams will face each other in the Copa America for the first time since 1993, when Uruguay won 1-0. 

La Celeste have won four of their last five matches against CONCACAF opponents in the competition (1L), and kept a clean sheet in three of those five games.

Uruguay's two victories against the USA were in the only two non-friendly matches they have played (3-0 at the Paris Olympics in 1924 and 1-0 in the 1993 Copa America).

In fact, Uruguay are the only CONMEBOL team that have not been able to beat the United States while playing in North America.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

USA - 21.6%

Uruguay - 56.1%

Draw - 22.3%

Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez feels he has put his World Cup struggles firmly behind him by getting amongst the goals at the Copa America.

Martinez scored twice as Argentina saw off Peru 2-0 in their final Group A game on Saturday.

That victory ensured the holders progressed to the quarter-finals as group winners, as expected, and they will now face either Venezuela, Mexico or Ecuador.

Inter forward Martinez, who was the leading scorer in Serie A in 2023-24, finished the group stage as not only the tournament's leading scorer, but also the Argentina player with the most shots (nine), despite not starting two out of the three games.

Yet standing in for Lionel Messi, who was rested, Martinez thrived, and he believes he has cast aside his woes from the Qatar World Cup, where he failed to get on the scoresheet.

"I'm happy, because I was able to score in the three group-stage games and because I was able to help the team, which is what counts," the 26-year-old told TyC Sports.

"I'm fine, as I said when the match with Chile ended, I had a great season at my club and I felt good.

"I felt ready to get rid of the thorn from the World Cup, that was important for me, to prepare well for the Copa America, which I did and I'm showing it. Let's keep working."

Martinez is two goals ahead of any other player in the Copa America Golden Boot race as it stands. 

In fact, since his debut in the Copa America in 2019, Martinez is the tournament's top scorer with nine goals (two in 2019, three in 2021, four in 2024), four more than Messi and Luis Diaz (five each).

Meanwhile, Argentina assistant Walter Samuel, who was filling in for the suspended Lionel Scaloni, suggested that Messi is on course to be fit for the quarter-finals.

"He was in the locker room, we noticed [he was] better," said Samuel.

"The situation is improving but it's a few days and the situation is premature to talk about. We'll talk about it on a day-to-day basis with him, and talk to the doctors."

Martinez was more positive, saying: "Leo is fine, we hope he can be in the next game. I dedicated the goal to him because I know what Leo means to us."

Angel Di Maria added: "Leo is fine, he's recovering, we hope he will be ready for the next game. Today's victory is for him."

Argentina have won their first three matches of a Copa America on 18 occasions. However, this is only the third time they have done so in their last 12 participations (along with 2007 and 2016).

Jordi Alba filled in for his absent Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez as the Herons made it three MLS wins on the spin with a 2-1 victory over Nashville SC.

With his former Barcelona team-mates Messi and Suarez away at the Copa America, Alba provided the stardust as he volleyed home in the 44th minute on Saturday to put the away team 2-0 up.

The Spaniard's sensational strike, which came with an expected goals (xG) value of just 0.01, arrived four minutes after Ian Fray had headed home from Julian Gressel's corner to nose Miami ahead.

Yannick Bright's clumsy challenge on Tyler Boyd provided Hany Mukhtar the chance to drag Nashville back into the contest in the second half - an opportunity the German duly took from the penalty spot.

Forster Ajago almost completed the comeback, but Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender made a fine save to deny the hosts a late equaliser.

Miami remain top of the Eastern Conference, two points clear of FC Cincinnati.

Data Debrief: Gressel the creator

Gressel provided an assist to Fray for Miami's opener against Columbus Crew on June 19, and that duo teamed up again this time out.

Since he joined MLS in 2017, Gressel has provided 62 assists, with only Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta (65) setting up more goals.

Jesse Marsch and his Canada team are not satisfied with their achievements so far after reaching the Copa America quarter-finals.

A goalless draw with 10-man Chile on Saturday was enough to send Marsch's side into the last eight.

Canada finished second in Group A behind Argentina, and will now face either Venezuela, Ecuador or Mexico in the quarters.

The Reds became the third team from outside CONMEBOL to reach the knockout rounds in their first Copa America appearance after Mexico (1993) and Honduras (2001), but former Leeds United boss Marsch is not done yet.

"We are not satisfied. The group is not satisfied. They want to keep going," Marsch said.

"They know, no matter who our next opponent is, it will be a difficult match. But they believe in themselves. We're excited for this next challenge.

"I'm challenging them to grow and get better, to be more savvy professionals, more mature players.

"I've been incredibly impressed by them, from the first training session. I'm enjoying being their coach. I'm proud of this accomplishment. But again, we're not satisfied."

With their numerical advantage, Canada kept Chile at arm's length at Inter&Co Stadium, restricting the two-time Copa America champions to just 0.52 expected goals (xG).

With no shot at progressing beyond the group stages, Jamaica’ senior Reggae Boyz will at least be hoping to salvage some pride from their final Group B contest to possibly end another failed Copa America campaign on a high in Austin, Texas.

Kickoff is 7:00pm Jamaica time.

The Boyz, who lost 0-1 to Mexico and 1-3 to Ecuador, will now have group leaders Venezuela to contend with, which means their task of securing an historic point or win at the prestigious CONMEBOL tournament that much more difficult.

However, the feat is by no means beyond the Jamaicans, and with Michail Antonio already accounting for their maiden goal at the tournament, it should lift their confidence significantly.

In fact, if the head-to-head statistics is anything to go by, then it puts the Boyz in good stead, as Jamaica has won two of six meetings with their South American counterpart, with one ending in a stalemate. This will be their second meeting in the Copa America, with the first being in the Centenario 2016 (USA), where Venezuela registered a 1-0 win.

Knowing very well that his team can compete at this level, Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson pointed out that the aim is for nothing less than a win. But, to achieve the feat, they will require a more compact display in the midfield, fluent passing, and certainly more creativity in the attacking third.

“We are going for for the win in this game,” Hallgrimsson declared in a pre-game press conference.

“Of course, we hoped and wished that we were in a different position than where we are, but it is what it is. There is good morale and the players are happy and together, and I give them a lot of credit for the atmosphere still in the camp. So we go into this match wanting to win for a lot of reasons that are important for us to get a win,” he added.

The Boyz are rooted at the foot of the standing without a point, with Venezuela on maximum six points from two games, while Ecuador and Mexico, on three points each, will do battle for the second spot to the quarter-finals.

Despite Venezuela’s current vein of form, Hallgrimsson believes they are by no means infallible.

“Well, they are the surprise package of the tournament, I would say. We have analysed them before and we knew they are a hard-working, honest team with great individuals. But, how they have performed, especially with the confidence they have displayed now, is impressive to see,” he said of the opponents.

“For the players, it is just margins that we can control that made it that we don’t have a point today. We go into this match knowing that we can get a win for sure, but there is balance,” he noted.

Still, the Icelandic coach pointed out that regardless of the outcome, the Boyz have shown glimpses of their potential to prove formidable at the highest level. This he believes is a significant positive, especially as they target a successful World Cup qualifying campaign.

“No matter what the result will be, I think this is a really important tournament for Jamaica in working towards qualifying for the World Cup 2026, and probably the closest thing to the World Cup that we can participate in,” the tactician reasoned.

“There has been a lot of questions about whether we are good enough to qualify for the World Cup. With how we’ve played Mexico and how we’ve played Ecuador, who played in Qatar World Cup, we’ve matched them in some areas. So, if anyone were to doubt if Jamaica can qualify for the World Cup 2026, I hope that some doubts are gone,” Hallgrimsson stated.

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."