We’re officially down to the wire at Euro 2016 with the remaining number of teams down to four. The next two matchups feature two teams looking to make their mark on European soccer history by winning their first every international trophy and two international soccer powers squaring looking to add to their trophy case.
Here is how the semi-finals of Euro 2016 will go down to determine who will play in Paris for the 2016 European championship.
Portugal vs Wales
Portugal and Wales entered Euro 2016 with different expectations but now both teams have the same goal in mind heading into Wednesday’s match, winning their nation’s first European championship and international trophy.
Portugal is coming off the heels of a nail-biting match against Poland in the quarterfinals. After letting in an early second minute goal to Poland, the Portuguese managed to rally back into the game thanks to 18-year-old phenom Renato Sanches’ 33rd minute strike. From there on both teams fought to break the deadlock in regulation but the score remained 1-1. Extra time didn’t solve the problem so it went down to penalty kicks. Portugal going five for five in penalty kicks would seal their spot in the semi-finals after Jakub Blaszczykowski missed for Poland. Thanks to players stepping up like Sanches and Nani, Portugal are proving that they don’t have to completely rely on Cristiano Ronaldo to succeed in this tournament.
Wales on the other hand didn’t wait until penalty kicks to book their ticket to the semi-finals. In the quarterfinals Wales were considered underdogs compared to a Belgium team that was ranked second overall in the FIFA rankings. Like Portugal, Wales went down early 1-0 thanks to a 13th minute Belgian goal. But that didn’t take out the fire of The Dragons as team captain Ashley Williams tied the game up in the 30th minute. In the second half the Welsh would break the game wide open with a excellent strike by Hal Robson-Kanu in the 55th minute and a beautiful header by Sam Vokes in the 85th minute.
Both team’s have history on their mind. Portugal has made it to the semi-finals for the fourth time in the past five tournaments, only making it to the finals once in 2004. They look to finally live up to the hype by winning their first international championship in team history. Meanwhile Wales is playing with house money after qualifying for their first ever European tournament.
Both teams have the star power with Real Madrid teammates Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale facing each other, but it has been their supporting casts that have gotten them this far. Renato Sanches and Nani have helped Ronaldo offensively alleviating the pressure while Wales has relied on strong selfless team play to get them this far behind Bale. Portugal have some concerns on the back end with Pepe nursing an injury.
With Iceland eliminated from the tournament, the Welsh take on the role of tournament underdog. But they are not a team to be taken lightly. The Dragons have exceeded expectations with one strong performance after another and will continue to do so against Portugal. They have nothing to lose and will continue to make history and advance to the finals in Paris. WINNER: Wales
Germany vs France
Germany takes on their second straight soccer powerhouse on as they battle against the hosts France on Thursday.
The Germans didn’t make things easy for themselves to make it this far following their quarterfinals match against Italy. After a 0-0 stalemate in the first half Mesut Ozil had the Germans riding high thanks to his 65th minute goal to give Germany a 1-0 lead. But it all came crashing down thanks to a Jerome Boateng hand ball in the penalty box in the 78th minute. The Italians were awarded the penalty kick and Leonardo Bonucci made their rivals pay and tied the game 1-1. After extra time didn’t solve anything penalty kicks were needed. It seemed as if both teams were finding ways to lose as they combined for seven missed penalty kicks, something unheard of from both teams, especially the Germans who hadn’t lost in penalty kicks in over 40 years. Jonas Hector would be the hero in the ninth round to win it for Germany 6-5 in penalties.
France had a much easier road to the semi-finals as they took on fan favourites Iceland. Olivier Giroud put Les Bleus ahead 1-0 in the 12th minute and sparked the onslaught against the outmatched Iceland team. It was 4-0 by halftime with the final score being 5-2 once the final whistle blew. Four different players scored for France with Giroud scoring two along with Paul Pogba, Dimitri Payet, and Antoine Griezmann.
Both teams are no strangers to success at the international level. Germany have won the European championship a record three times and the World Cup four times while France has won the European championship twice and the World Cup once. The last time France hosted an international tournament was in 1996 when they took home the World Cup and look to do the same thing in 2016.
Germany will enter the match not at full strength with defender Mats Hummels being suspended for the match, Mario Gomez, Sami Khedira out with injuries and Bastian Schweinsteiger fighting a knee injury. With four key veterans out/doubtful for the match there will be some younger players forced to step up along with the remaining veterans on the roster. France meanwhile will be at full strength will a raucous crowd cheering them to glory.
France have shown that the pressure of being the host country hasn’t rattled them compared to previous host countries. They also have the advantage of being fully healthy going into this match while Germany has to do some adjusting. But despite being shorthanded this German squad is still the reigning World Cup champions and have a deep roster full of young talent. This match has the makings of a potential classic with two very strong teams and it should be a match that goes right down to the wire. In the end France will find a way to come out on top with and beat the Germans for the first time in a tournament since 1958. WINNER: France