Euro 2020: Best XI from the quarterfinals
Euro 2020 has truly lived up to the hype so far. The tournament has been replete with heartbreaks, upsets and heroic tales. Several giants have fallen but many others have risen to the occasion and emerged as heroes.
Euro 2020 quarterfinals featured some exciting encounters
The Round of 16 was exhilarating and the quarterfinals were just as good if not better. Spain saw off Switzerland in a shootout after the game ended 1-1. The Belgian Red Devils were knocked out by an Italian side that seems to be getting better with each game.
Denmark beat Czech Republic 2-1 in an enthralling encounter and England thumped Ukraine 4-0. It's a stage that's famous for creating heroes out of men and Euro 2020 has delivered in that regard.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the best XI from the quarterfinals.
Goalkeeper - Yann Sommer
Yann Sommer (Switzerland)
Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer did his best to keep his side in the tournament. It's a pity that his best efforts over the course of 120 minutes and the shootout weren't enough to save the day for the Swiss side.
Sommer couldn't have done anything about Alba's deflected goal. But he stood his ground and produced excellent saves against Gerard Moreno and Mikel Oyarzabal in extra-time. He made a total of 10 saves against Spain.
The 32-year-old also saved Rodri's shot in the shootout but unfortunately for him, it wasn't enough.
Defenders
Jens Stryger Larsen (Denmark)
30-year-old wing-back Jens Stryger Larsen put in a shift-and-a-half against the Czech Republic. He was excellent, bombing up and down the right flank and sending in some brilliant balls into the box.
He did a great job with his corners as well and picked up an assist as Thomas Delaney headed home from his swinging delivery.
Leonardo Bonucci (Italy)
Bonucci is one of the best centre-backs in the world and he brought all of his experience to the game against Belgium. He kept popping up in the right place thanks to his superior positional awareness and was also excellent at playing the ball out from the back.
Bonucci also had a goal chalked off by VAR as he was found to have been offside in the replays.
It was a top performance from the Juventus man and Mancini will be demanding more of the same from him at the Euro 2020 semi-final.
Harry Maguire (England)
England fans are learning just how important a player Harry Maguire really is. Having missed England's first two Euro 2020 games against Croatia and Scotland, Maguire returned against Czech Republic. He has now helped the Three Lions keep three cleansheets and has been crucial to their build-up play.
He produced a thumping header off a corner to make it 2-0 against Ukraine and help England get off to a flying start to the second half. He dominated aerial duels and was excellent in defence. It was a blockbuster performance from the Manchester United captain.
Luke Shaw
Luke Shaw is arguably the best player of the Euro 2020 quarter-final stage. The Englishman absolutely relished his chance to play in Jose Mourinho's yard and conjured two assists. He was England's best player and his deliveries were accurate. Shaw was also excellent at dispensing his defensive duties.