Three weeks ago, 24 countries headed into Euro 2024 with plenty of hope, optimism and the ultimate dream of achieving glory. Now, just eight remain with winning the tournament the only thing on the minds of the respective quarter-finalists.
The tournament has undoubtedly lived up to expectations with some entertaining matches, stunning goals and unforgettable moments.
Austria topping Group D ahead of juggernauts France and the Netherlands as well as Georgia and Slovakia's shock victories over Portugal and Belgium respectively are certainly ones to remember.
Meanwhile, the round-of-16 did not disappoint which included Switzerland knocking out the holders Italy, a stoppage-time Jude Bellingham bicycle kick bailing out England as well as penalty shootout heroics from Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
With the quarter-finals just around the corner, all four ties certainly have the capabilities of adding to an already brilliant tournament in Germany. We take a look at previous matches between the sides facing each other in the last-eight.
-
Germany 0-1 Spain - Euro 2008 Final
Hosts Germany face their toughest test of the tournament so far when Julian Nagelsmann's men take on a talented Spain side in Stuttgart.
Both nations comfortably topped their respective groups with the Germans defeating Denmark 2-0 in the round-of-16 whilst Luis de la Fuente and Spain came from behind to see off tournament debutants Goergia with a 4-1 scoreline.
Spain have very much gone under the radar prior to Euro 2024 but have shown that they are no pushovers. Ahead of their meeting with Die Mannschaft, the Spaniards pose a strong record when the two sides meet in major tournaments.
La Roja are unbeaten in four games with Germany's last competitive victory coming all the way back in Euro 1988. However, for Spain, their most memorable victory over the Germans is certainly the Euro 2008 final.
Under the guidance of Luis Aragones, Spain dominated the first half in Vienna where Fernando Torres saw his header strike the post. They eventually broke the deadlock on 33 minutes when a perfectly weighted through-ball from Xavi was finished off by Torres.
Meanwhile, in the second half, the closest Germany came was through Michael Ballack, who hit the side netting. However, Spain continued to dominate but failed to add to their advantage.
Despite that, they held on for the victory to end their 44-year wait for a second European Championship crown.
-
Portugal 1-0 France - Euro 2016 Final
The second quarter-final tie is once again a clash of the titans where Portugal and Roberto Martinez meet the 2018 World Cup winners France.
Portugal topped their group having won their opening two matches before defeating Slovenia on penalties in the round-of-16. Meanwhile, for France, a below-par display in the group stages saw them finish 2nd but a late 1-0 win over Belgium secured their passage into the quarter-finals.
This will be the third straight European Championship that the two sides have faced one-another but Euro 2016 was the biggest occasion of them all when they met in the final at the Stade de France.
Heading into the game, Portugal had never won the Euro's and came agonisingly close in 2004 but were defeated by Greece in the final. As well as this, they had lost all three competitive meetings against France.
Deschamps men had the first chance of the final when Antoine Griezmann's looping header was tipped over by Rui Patricio. However, Portugal were dealt a massive blow when Cristiano Ronaldo was stretchered off in the first half.
Despite that, Fernando Santos' side managed without their star player and managed to hold off the dominance from France, who were unable to scored past Patricio.
With the match carrying on into extra-time, Portugal struck what proved to be the winner from an unlikely source. Substitute Eder tried his luck from distance where he drilled the ball into the back of the net.
An unbelievable moment for the Portuguese, who ended their torrid run against France but more importantly, secured their first-ever major trophy.
-
England 1-1 Switzerland - Euro 1996
It is safe to say that England's performances at Euro 2024 have been nothing short of disappointing. Despite that, however, Gareth Southgate's men have still made it into the quarter-finals but face a stern test against a strong Switzerland side.
The Swiss, under manager Murat Yakin, finished runners-up in their group having beaten Hungary 3-1 in their opening group game before back-to-back 1-1 draws against Scotland and Germany. However, their 2-0 victory over Italy in the round-of-16 was certainly the most memorable result of them all.
Meanwhile, for England, a poor group stage display continued into the last-16 against Slovakia. The Three Lions looked destined to exit the tournament in dismal fashion before a stoppage time Jude Bellingham goal and an extra-time Harry Kane winner papered over the cracks.
Both sides have met in previous European Championship's with their last meeting coming in Euro 2004 when England ran out 3-0 winners. England have a strong record against the Swiss with 19 wins from a possible 27 with Switzerland's last victory coming all the way back in 1981.
Since then, the Swiss have drawn just twice with one of those being the opening game of Euro 96 at Wembley. With the tournament being hosted in England, this was the perfect opportunity for Terry Venables side to impress in front of the home contingent.
England made a strong start to the game and broke the deadlock midway through the first half. A through-ball from Paul Ince was latched onto by Alan Shearer, who fired into the back of the net.
However, with seven minutes to go, the Swiss were awarded a penalty following a handball from Stuart Pearce. Kubilay Turkyilmaz stepped up from 12 yards and rolled the ball into the bottom corner to equalise.
As the match headed into the closing stages, both sides threatened a second goal but in the end, the match finished in a draw. England would go on to top the group with back-to-back victories whilst the draw would prove to be Switzerland's only point of the tournament.
-
Turkey 3-0 Netherlands - Euro 2016 Qualifying
The fourth and final quarter-final sees the Netherlands and Ronald Koeman take on a Turkey side fresh from their impressive 2-1 win over Austria.
The Netherlands and Turkey have had mixed fortunes in the tournament so far but both have earned the right to compete in the quarter-finals. Having been drawn into a tough group, the Dutch finished 3rd but qualified as one of the best third-place sides before comfortably seeing off Romania 3-0 in the knockout stages.
Meanwhile, for Turkey, Vincenzo Montella's side started with a 3-1 win over Georgia before crashing back down to earth with a 3-0 defeat to Portugal. However, they recovered by beating the Czech Republic 2-1 to finish in 2nd.
This game is very much on an even keel with a winner proving tough to call. Both sides have only ever met on 12 occasions but this meeting will be the first at a major tournament.
Their most recent encounters came three years ago in the 2022 World Cup qualifier with Turkey winning 4-2 at home whilst the Netherlands won 6-1 in Amsterdam. However, the closest the two came to meeting in the Euro's was the qualifying stage for Euro 2016.
The two were drawn in a group containing Czech Republic, Iceland, Kazakhstan and Latvia with both expected to qualify. However, ahead of their second meeting of the qualification campaign, the Netherlands accumulated just ten points from seven games and travelled to Turkey needing three points to keep their Euro 2016 hopes in their own hands.
Meanwhile, for Turkey, they were hot on the heels of the Netherlands and knew victory would see them leapfrog the Dutch into 3rd spot. They did exactly that as goals from Oguzhan Ozyakup, Arda Turan and Burak Yilmaz saw them run riot in Konya.
Victory for the Turks proved to be the springboard needed to secure their place at Euro 2016 as two wins from their final two games saw them qualify at the Netherlands expense, who failed to qualify for a major tournament for the first time in 14 years.
