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The competition in Group B has ended in the European Championship. As predicted, France and England have reached the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, these teams will play against Greece and Portugal, respectively.
England - Croatia 4 - 2
5' [0 - 1] 40' [1 - 1] 45', 68' [2 - 1, 3 - 1] 73' [3 - 2] 79' [4 - 2]
Despite needing only a draw to reach the quarter-finals in these matches, the English attacked from the beginning of the game. The first Croatian attack resulted in a goal - Niko Kovač sent the ball to the net after a rebound shot following a corner kick.
After this goal, the English started to press even harder, but did not create real chances. In the 40th minute, after a great pass from F. Lampard, M. Owen jumped towards the goalkeeper and, although his shot was saved, W. Rooney headed the ball to P. Scholes, who also headed it into the net.
In stoppage time, young talent Wayne Rooney managed to beat Tomislav Butina with a strong shot from about 20 meters.
The second half began again with active play from England. In the 68th minute, following a good combination play with M. Owen and a defensive error, W. Rooney scored his third goal after breaking through alone against the Croatian goalkeeper. In the 73rd minute, Croatian Igor Tudor headed in a goal to narrow the gap.
However, just six minutes later, F. Lampard fooled a defender and scored a goal from the penalty spot. The Croats tried to attack in the final minutes, but their efforts were in vain. The Croats exited the tournament, while the English continue their journey - on Thursday, their quarter-final opponent will be the tournament hosts Portugal.
Switzerland - France 1 - 3
20' [0 - 1] 26' [1 - 1] 76', 84' [1 - 2, 1 - 3]
The game started more actively with the Swiss, and in the 10th minute, they could have taken the lead, but Hakan Yakin missed the target. In the 15th minute, H. Yakin had another chance, but his penalty shot was saved by goalkeeper F. Barthez. In the 20th minute, France scored - R. Pires lifted a corner kick and Z. Zidane headed the ball into the net.
In the 26th minute, a mistake by the French defenders led to a goal by the young Johan Vonlanthen, who equalized with a precise shot into the far corner. After the second goal, the game slowed down, and at the end of the half, T. Henry had a real chance, but his headed shot was off target.
Early in the second half, T. Henry fell in the penalty area, but the referee Lubos Michel did not see the foul. In the 55th minute, Z. Zidane unexpectedly redirected the ball to R. Pires with his head, but the goalkeeper Jorg Stiel saved his shot.
R. Pires had another chance in the 60th minute, but his shot missed the goal. In the 76th minute, the French scored again, when substitute L. Saha headed the ball to T. Henry, who directed it into the net with a weak shot from a few meters away.
The Swiss hopes were shattered eight minutes later, when T. Henry once again outwitted a defender and beat J. Stiel for the third time. The French team secured a convincing victory and will now face the Greek national team in the quarter-finals next Friday.
