On July 3, the UEFA Euro 1/8 final saw the Netherlands cruise past Romania with a 3-0 victory, advancing to the quarterfinals as the only third-placed team to do so. Romania, in turn, became the first group winner to exit the tournament.
After the group stage, Georgia, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Slovenia emerged as the four best third-placed teams, securing their spots in the knockout rounds.
In the round of 16, third-placed teams faced off against group winners, presenting a stern challenge. Georgia fell 1-4 to Spain, highlighting the significant gap in abilities between the two sides. Slovakia, despite leading for much of the match, succumbed to a last-gasp overhead kick from Jude Bellingham, eventually losing 1-2 to England in extra time. Slovenia battled Portugal to a 0-0 draw after 120 minutes, only to be eliminated on penalties. Among the third-placed teams, the Netherlands stood out with a convincing 3-goal victory, making them the sole team to advance to the quarterfinals.
Of the group winners that have played so far, Germany, Spain, England, and Portugal have all advanced to the quarterfinals, while Romania is the first group winner to be knocked out.
It’s worth noting that in the 2016 UEFA Euro, Portugal, as a third-placed team, navigated a more favorable path to win the championship. Can the Dutch team, also coming from third place, replicate Portugal’s success from yesteryear?
Revisiting Portugal’s 2016 Title Run? Netherlands Become Sole Third-Placed Team to Reach Quarterfinals, Romania First Group Winner Eliminated. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/football-world/14111.html
