Round Of 16 Confirmed – What’s Next For The Foxes At EURO 2020
- Danny Ward’s Wales are through to the last 16 of UEFA EURO 2020 after finishing second in Group A
- Ward will face fellow Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in the next round on Saturday after Denmark also qualified
- Youri Tielemans and Dennis Praet helped Belgium to top Group B ahead of the Danes with three wins from three
- The Red Devils will be action again in Seville on Sunday, versus Portugal
Goalkeeper Danny Ward was the first to help his side qualify as Wales booked their place in the last 16 after one win, one draw and one defeat from their three group games.
A superb performance from the Foxes shot-stopper, who pulled off several key saves, helped Rob Page’s Dragons to secure a credible 1-1 draw with Switzerland in their opening fixture in Baku.
Remaining in Azerbaijan, Wales went one better as they triumphed 2-0 over Turkey four days later, as Ward kept his first clean sheet of the tournament when coming up against City team-mate Çağlar Söyüncü.
That result all-but confirmed qualification and the team arrived at Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Sunday with second spot in their grasp.
And despite a narrow 1-0 defeat by Italy, in which Ward played 90 minutes for the third consecutive game, the 10 men of Wales did finish second in Group A, courtesy of their superior goal difference over Switzerland, after the Swiss also accumulated four points.
It sets up a round of 16 tie against Kasper Schmeichel’s Denmark, who, against all odds, also qualified as runners-up in their group.
Losing their first match 1-0 to Finland, it looked to be a tall order for The Red and White to progress from Group B. Then, following a 2-1 reverse against the No.1 ranked team in the world, Belgium, Denmark sat bottom of the group without a point.
However, the final group match proved to be decisive. The Danes scored four in front of a raucous Copenhagen crowd to defeat Russia 4-1 on Monday evening and sneak into second place in the group standings.
Schmeichel and Ward, who both played every minute of each group stage fixture, will meet at Amsterdam Arena in Holland on Saturday 26 June (5pm kick-off).
Staying in Group B, Foxes midfielders Youri Tielemans and Dennis Praet are both set to compete in the knockout stages of the tournament after helping Belgium to advance as group winners.
A 3-0 victory over Russia in St. Petersburg on matchday one saw starts for Tielemans and Timothy Castagne, who had to be substituted due to an eye injury and will miss the rest of the tournament, while Praet came off the bench 77 minutes into the clash.
Another three points were secured against Denmark, coming from a goal down at half-time to win 2-1 and seal qualification, with Tielemans playing another 90 minutes in midfield.
The Red Devils were assured of top spot by seeing off Finland 2-0 back in Russia on Monday. Tielemans and Praet were both unused substitutes as Roberto Martínez shuffled his pack in the final group game at Krestovsky Stadium.
Belgium’s 100 per cent group record saw them score seven goals and concede just one on the way to three consecutive victories.
Next up, they will take on Portugal, who finished third in their pool after a 2-2 draw with France on Wednesday, for the last 16 clash at Estadio La Cartuja in Sevilla on Sunday 27 June (8pm kick-off).
All times BST.