Everything happens on the last day of Group D of the European Football Championships. A crazy football afternoon that rewards a phenomenal Austria at the top of the table ahead of France and Holland and which completely messes up the predictions on the pairings of the round of 16, with Luciano Spalletti’s Italy still watching with interest.
Before kick-off the ranking read Holland, France, Austria, but with the Transalpines definitely favored to finish in first place given the challenge with an already eliminated Poland. At the final whistle everything was reversed with the Austrian 3-2 and the sensational and unexpected draw in France. Austria first, France second and Holland third, but still certain of being rescued.
Clearly the gaze immediately goes to the scoreboard of the round of 16, where a truly thrilling top part is being created and which currently involves Germany, Spain, France and Portugal, perhaps the main four candidates for final victory. None of them know their opponent yet, with the Germans facing the second of Group C (probably one between Denmark and Serbia) and France finding themselves the second of Group E, where everything is still to be decided and which could even be Belgium. Spain and Portugal, on the other hand, are waiting to know the fate of the third recoveries.
In the lower part of the draw there will therefore be Austria, which will meet the second in group F (currently Turkey) with a possible quarter-final clash with the first in group E (will it be Belgium?). Italy already knows that they will face Switzerland and then, in case of success, the winner of the match between the first in group C (most likely England) and a third second-placed team (it could be the Netherlands).
Tomorrow evening all the calculations will be completed and there will be the definitive picture of the round of 16, but already now we can notice a notable imbalance in the scoreboard, with an upper part that is truly transforming into a round of Dante’s Inferno.
