Euro 2024 LIVE: Germany reach quarter-finals after Switzerland dump out Italy

You can't say it hasn't been coming, the Swiss have been dominant so far. Ruben Vargas finds Remo Freuler in the box. The midfielder takes a touch before chesting it down and firing a shot into the bottom corner from close range. 1-0 to Switzerland!

Switzerland have been well on top so far and have just had the game's biggest chance so far. Embolo gets played through and is all on his own but his shot is met by an excellent save from Donnarumma. Still 0-0.

Former England manager Sam Allardyce has urged Gareth Southgate to be bold and replace Harry Kane with Ivan Toney.

England have had a shaky start to the Euros, managing only one victory and two goals in their first three games. As such, fans are calling for significant changes to the team, but Allardyce's proposal is arguably one of the most daring suggestions.

Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce, 69, labelled Toney 'the best in the world' at his role and suggested that his inclusion in the starting XI could surprise England's last-16 opponents, Slovakia.

"I'd change Harry Kane for Ivan Toney," said the 69 year old football veteran. "The last team to win at Manchester City was Brentford. The manager needs to say to the players, 'If I put Ivan Toney on, it goes to him'."

Rod Thornley has admitted he's worried about putting Luke Shaw back into the England squad after the Manchester United man suffered an injury four months ago.

28-year-old Shaw hasn't played a single minute of football since he suffered a hamstring pull back in February. The defender came off at half time during United's 2-1 victory over Aston Villa - and the injury would cost him the last four months of the Red Devils'Premier League campaign - including their FA Cup final win over neighbouring Manchester City.

Despite being selected in Gareth Southgate's final squad for Euro 2024, Shaw hasn't featured for his nation as of yet in this summer's tournament in Germany. However, he has now declared himself fit enough to participate in the Three Lions' round of 16 fixture with Slovakia on Sunday.

Former Manchester United and England Masseur Thornley has worries about reintroducing Shaw to the first team, stressing that with a lack of match sharpness and fitness, it could be a "big, big risk". Speaking with Nubaid Haroon and Wes Brown on the latest instalment of Reach's new Euro Thrash podcast - which you can find on YouTube, Apple and Spotify - Thornley said: "What's happened is England will have seen him in the early stages before they’ve actually picked the 26 and said ‘right, he's at this point now, we've got a chance of getting him right probably for the last group game, maybe the start of the last 16, so he'll be an asset to us if we can do that’."

Former England star John Barnes has warned Gareth Southgate he simply "can't" pick Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka for England's upcoming Euro 2024 last-16 clash against Slovakia.

"It was a great performance," Barnes told bonuscodebets.co.uk when asked about Palmer's performance off the bench against Slovenia. He came on and he looked dangerous, but once again, it's not about playing Cole Palmer and giving him the ball and saying go and look dangerous.

"He looked dangerous for Chelsea and where did Chelsea finish? It's not about individuals looking dangerous and playing well. It's about how they compliment the team. And if we think that Cole Palmer is going to come on and do what he does for Chelsea, then there's no point having Jude Bellingham or Phil Foden.

"It's about the team benefiting from all of the players playing in their position, doing what's right for the team. You can't have Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Saka on the pitch at the same time.

"You have to have the right balance and that is why I think Mainoo and Rice are needed in midfield. We're good enough to go through. We're in a nice group half of the bracket, which means we can get through to the semi-final and maybe the final.

"Thankfully we're not on the other side, but I think ultimately for us to really win it, we're going to have to come up with a way of play that suits the team rather than looking just to put the best individuals in the team."

Wayne Rooney has admitted he is "worried" about England star Jude Bellingham ahead of their Euro 2024 last-16 clash against Slovakia.

He began the Euros in impressive fashion, scoring the winner as England beat Serbia 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen, but he has made less of an impact in subsequent games against Denmark and Slovenia.

And Rooney is concerned that Bellingham might get himself sent off or do "something stupid" and get injured after noticing how the midfielder was unable to "hide his frustration" during the lacklustre 0-0 draw with Slovenia.

"Watching England against Slovenia, I focused on Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane to try to understand how they are working together," Rooney wrote in a column for the Times. "What I saw left me worried.

"Jude's body language told you a lot. Three or four times in the first half he could not hide his frustration. He was trying to lead things by running past Harry to pressure the ball, the Slovenians would pass round him and he'd find nobody was backing up his run. For an attacking player that's one of the worst feelings you can have."

Harry Kane reportedly went out of his way to defend his team-mates after Gary Lineker's infamous swipe at England's performance.

The Three Lions have been well off the pace at the Euros, but still managed to top their group after taking five points from three matches. Following their drab 1-1 draw with Denmark, Lineker and BBC colleague Alan Shearer tore into Gareth Southgate's side, with the former branding England's performance "s***" on The Rest Is Football podcast.

A few days later, Kane hit back at the pair during a somewhat spiky press conference, and it's understood the Bayern Munich striker pulled some strings in order to do so. According to the Independent, Kane broke his usual routine by 'putting himself forward' to take media duties where he ended up directly responding to Lineker and Shearer's comments.

The former Tottenham man had already spoken to the press earlier in the week, and wouldn't be expected to do so again until much later in the tournament. But he was eager to set the record straight and decided to take matters into his own hands by addressing the press immediately - an exercise he wouldn't usually do.

Former Liverpool and Germany defender Markus Babbel has laid into England, claiming they were the "easiest draw" any team could have got in the last-16.

"Germany wouldn’t have any fear coming up against England," he told Bet365. "England might well have the best players but they have been so poor. If you see how England play, you get tears in your eyes.

"I’m not sure what they are trying to do, if you look at Trent Alexander-Arnold he is incredible for Liverpool and then for England you’d think it was his twin brother. There are top players, but no one is performing, England can’t be worse than they were in the group stage.

"I wish that Germany would have played against England because it was the easiest draw if you go by the group games. If they perform like they can then it will be difficult to beat them, but at the moment they look awful."

Wes Brown has leapt to the defence of Cristiano Ronaldo, insisting that his visible frustration at Euro 2024 was towards himself - not his team-mates or manager.

The former Manchester United defender observed Ronaldo's reaction to being substituted in the 66th minute of the 2-0 loss to Georgia on Wednesday, noting that the Al-Nassr forward's annoyance was due to his own high standards. Ronaldo, who had been booked for dissent earlier in the match, was replaced by Goncalo Ramos and appeared visibly upset with his performance.

Discussing the incident on Reach's new podcast Euro Thrash, which is available on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify, host Nubaid Haroon pointed out Ronaldo's rage to Brown, saying: "Your mate Cristiano was playing, and he was raging. What was happening with him?"

Brown responded confidently, explaining Ronaldo's mindset: "That's normal. He's come off, he wants to score. I've said this in previous ones. His attitude's so good. People might think he's snapping at other people but he's not."

Former England goalkeeper David Seaman has urged fans to show Gareth Southgate more "respect" after he had beer cups thrown at him following the draw against Slovenia.

"If you sat our players down and asked them for a mark out of 10 for the last three games, they would all probably be around a 6," Seaman told Betway. "That’s not a negative, but they can play so much better and that’s where the negativity is coming from with the fans.

"Gareth had some empty cups thrown at him after the game and he doesn’t deserve that. The standards that the fans are expecting are all thanks to him and his players. It’s not going well at this moment, but we’ve had some fantastic times under Gareth and the fans should respect that.

"We experienced a lot of negativity back in 1996, with Gazza and the dentist’s chair incident. In those situations, you close ranks as a team. When pundits and media people have a go at players, it makes it worse. They don’t get relaxed interviews anymore because the players are on guard.

"I find it really difficult to have a go at players, because I’ve been in that situation before where ex-players have had a go at me, and I would never forget when it felt like a personal attack. The criticism is understandable because we can play so much better, but we need a reality check – we’ve just finished top of the group."

Germany have been going to great lengths to deal with a mosquito invasion at their Bavarian base, but Julian Nagelsmann is confident Denmark won’t clip their wings.

The German boss and several of his players have been quizzed all week on the outbreak at their Adidas-built Home Ground camp, with Nagelsmann even calling it “an abnormal plague” as players and staff were bitten.

Cocoa fumes have now been used to deal with the problem, but that has led to some players in the squad complaining about the smell. Nagelsmann insists that the squad remains laser focused on delivering a victory at their home tournament though, with excitement growing in Germany over the squad’s potential.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re the hosts or not, the expectation of our fans is always the same,” he said. “They always want to see a successful team. It’s a big support and really good feeling when we see all the pictures out in the streets, with our fans supporting us and celebrating the games. And we want to help produce more pictures for them. It’s an additional push for our team.”

Former England striker Alan Shearer has told Betfair his predictions for the last-16.

Switzerland vs Italy

"That’s a really difficult game to predict. Italy have been pretty poor up front and Switzerland have been great. It wouldn’t surprise me if this went the full length of extra time because it’ll be that tight. I’m going to say Switzerland go through."

Germany vs Denmark

"Chrisitan Eriksen has been a great story, particularly with him getting his goal in their opening game. Denmark have got plenty about them, but with Germany on home soil they’ll just have too much for them."

England vs Slovakia

"There’s only one prediction for me here. England will improve. They’ve got to start clicking into third and fourth gear now. So England, without doubt. I can see it being a convincing win, I hope so. This is the time they’ll put their foot on the gas. They’ll show a lot more energy, they’ll show a lot more confidence. This is where the tournament will start for England."

Spain vs Georgia

"Georgia have been one of the stories of the tournament by beating Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. It was Portugal’s second string side, but that’s still a brilliant team by the way. That was incredible for Georgia, it was their night. Unfortunately I don’t think they’ll have another great night against Spain. Spain have been the outstanding team of the tournament so far."

France vs Belgium

"These are two teams that have been relatively disappointing. Up to now, France were one of the tournament favourites. They’ve been having issues in front of goal. Mbappe got injured in the first game, he got his first goal, albeit via the penalty spot, but they’re still waiting to click. They’ve got so many options, but it hasn’t clicked yet. Belgium, other than De Bruyne, have been really poor. It looks like a tournament too far for them. I’m not a big believer in their back four. I think France will win this game. Lukaku has had so many chances, but he’s been so unlucky. He was offside with his knee cap for one goal, that was really unlucky."

Portugal vs Slovenia

"Portugal will have too much for Slovenia. The big thing for Portugal is everyone would have been rested. Martinez will go back to his main team. If they’re not having the right result at the time, they’ll make changes and those changes will probably make the difference. So Portugal will win that one."

Romania vs Netherlands

"This is a really tough one to call. Most people would say the Netherlands, but I’ve not been that convinced with them. Romania finished top of their group. It’s going to be a really tight game, but I’m going to go with Romania."

Austria vs Turkey

"I’ve been so impressed with Ralf Rangnick and his team. Even the other night, when they were drawing, they were still pressing on the front foot and showing great energy in the last 10, 15 minutes and going for the win. It’ll be a brilliant atmosphere. I’ll go for Austria."

The first time Cole Palmer went to a major tournament, England had gone home before he even got there.

‌Now Palmer is determined to help England stay at the Euros for as long as possible as he sets his sights on Slovakia in the last-16 on Sunday. Palmer, who made his tournament debut as a substitute against Slovenia, said: “You can see on social media what fans think. There's loads of different teams people want to play, so it's normal. It's nice to see it but it's not up to them, is it?

‌“Personally I think I’m ready but it's not up to me. I just wait for my time and when I get on I just try to do what I do.‌ I was just excited to get on for 20 minutes and thought I was going to try to do something or make an impact.

‌“I wouldn't say I’m impatient because I know it's my first tournament and you've got players like Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham in my position so it is understandable. But I was just want to get on and try to impress when I do.”

Italy star Mattia Zaccagni has revealed that a host of his teammates got injured while celebrating his goal vs Croatia.

“I hadn’t even realised it was the last moment,” he said to UEFA. “When I saw Calafiori running with the ball and the Croatia defence moving towards the centre, I remained in my natural position, and when I received the ball, I didn’t think about it twice.

"The celebration was fantastic. With all my teammates, the staff members and all the guys. Some of us hurt our ribs because everyone crushed us. But it was really exciting.”

Former England goalkeeper David Seaman has urged Gareth Southgate to start Kobbie Mainoo in their last-16 clash against Slovakia.

Reflecting on England's 0-0 draw with Slovenia, Seaman told Betway: "Conor Gallagher came into the team and struggled, and although it’s not easy coming in for matches like this, Kobbie Mainoo took his place and looked so comfortable.

"I said in my previous blog that I’d have started him. He’s only 19 but he plays with so much composure on the ball. For me, Mainoo is a definite starter for the next game as those 45 minutes underlined everything we knew about him.

"Anthony Gordon also came on and really hugged the left touchline. It just showed that Foden coming inside all the time causes us other problems, and we’re not getting that width we need.

"It must be hard because Phil obviously wants to get involved in the play, but we really need that width. Cole Palmer also came on and looked brilliant. He just went out there and played his game, and looked positive even though he didn’t get much playing time.

"It was refreshing seeing those two on the pitch after the previous 80 minutes. It’s hard to see who you would leave out for Gordon or Palmer, though, so the only change I would make for now is Mainoo to come in for Gallagher.

"This team hasn’t been beaten yet. The three teams we’ve played so far have all played in a low block – or defended deep, as we called it when I played! I think it will help when teams come on and try to attack us."

Laura Woods has urged Gareth Southgate to start both Kobbie Mainoo against Slovakia.

Speaking to BetMGM, she said: "I don’t think Gareth [Southgate] has necessarily been wrong in the players he’s picked to start the group games but I think players have come off the bench and claimed their spots.

"Kobbie Mainoo instantly made an impact against Slovenia. He was very positive and linked up play nicely. We looked 100 times better and much more of a threat with him in midfield.

"I love Cole Palmer, he’s the kind of player other teams will be scared of. I’d love to see Palmer start on the right and Bukayo Saka on the left against Slovakia. Mainoo deserves to start in midfield alongside Declan Rice and I think Trent Alexander-Arnold should come back into the side at right-back with Kyle Walker switching to left-back.

"That looks like a much more balanced side to me."

Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori has been compared to Franco Baresi ahead of tonight's clash with Switzerland.

Speaking to Gazzetta Dello Sport, Bologna technical director Walter Sabatini said: “We qualified thanks to a beautiful ‘tear’ by Calafiori, who reminded me of Franco Baresi.

“Talent is scarce because in Italy football schools have cancelled street football, the place where you learned to stop the ball, to dribble and to play on the side. Instructors are coaches and impose tactics on nine-year-olds.”

Good morning and welcome along to Mirror Football's Euro 2024 coverage.

The competition gets back underway on Saturday after a brief break. We'll be bringing you all the news from Germany - as well as build-up to England's last-16 showdown with Slovakia tomorrow.

When Spain starlet Lamine Yamal hasn't been lighting up the Euros pitch and running manic with our imaginations, the 16-year-old has been doing what any 16-year-old kid does: homework.

Indeed, while his teammates enjoy down time at their Euros HQ, Yamal has been nose-in-books.

And all the hard work has reportedly paid off, with Yamal having passed his school exams.

First reported by Cadena Cope, those hours of revisions have resulted in passing grades.

This latest feat will only further impress his teammates. Ferran Torres joked with the Guardian, that Yamal should be "banned" for "what this kid is doing at 16 years of age!"

Phil Foden has spoken out after returning to the England camp ahead of this weekend's clash with Slovakia.

Foden was seen taking to the training pitch alongside West Ham star Jarrod Bowen. After being welcomed back by England's media team, Foden said: "Thank you."

Foden had left the camp for the birth of his third child.

Euro 2024 fans could be sheltering from extreme weather after forecasts in Germany.

Speaking to BILD, Meteorologist Dominik Jung said: "From Saturday evening and into the night on Sunday, there is a risk of severe thunderstorms from the southwest and west to the middle of Germany.

"These could bring extremely heavy rain, with amounts of between 40 and 80 litres per square meter within a few hours. Large hail with a diameter of around 3 cm is also expected, as are strong storm or hurricane gusts with speeds of between 100 and 140 km/h.

"Tornadoes cannot be ruled out either."

UEFA chief Roberto Rosetti has revealed the decision to not award Scotland a penalty vs Hungary was CORRECT.

He said: “Then there was of course, in minute 79, in the Hungary penalty area, another incident. The attacker of Scotland, Armstrong, was in front of the Hungarian. If you watch from the behind camera, there was a movement of the attacker towards the Hungarian. Another controversial decision.

“Of course the VARs are checking everything. The VAR checked this situation. They checked the previous one and they checked also the second one. And they decided this was just physical contact. This is what happened.

“For the VAR there was no intervention because there was, in their opinion, the attacker changed the direction towards the defender.

“In his opinion it was just a physical contact, trying to challenge the defender. It was checked and there was no intervention.”

Spain star Fermin Lopez has eased his fitness concerns having been selected to play at both Euro 2024 and the Olympics.

He said: “No, no. Physically I’m fine. Physically I’m fine. During the year I’ve worked hard to get to these months in perfect shape. I feel great and I’m looking forward to it.”

Darren Anderton has hinted that Gareth Southgate might regret not taking Jack Grealish to the Euros.

He said: "I think that every squad needs characters like Jack, and our Euro’96 squad was an incredible squad and Gazza was the main part of that. So if there is a guy like that, it’s always good have them in and around the dressing room and the squad.

"I don’t think Jack is a bad egg either and if he was on the bench or not playing, I don’t think he would be walking around sulking and has that respect, and I think he would be good to have around the place, but I’m sure there’s lots of good lads in that dressing room. As I said, I think that’s one thing that Gareth has got right throughout his tenure."

Thirsty England fans are expected to down an extra 6m pints during the Three Lions Euro 2024 showdown with Slovakia on Sunday.

The British Beer and Pub A predict the game will bring a sales boost worth up to £28.8m. The Euros could see around 777m pints sold, generating turnover of £2.2bn.

It comes as overall beer sales were given a lift of up to 20 percent by the sunshine. Emma McClarkin, the association's Chief Executive, said: "This month has been particularly busy for the beer and pub sector and this weekend is set to be even more so.

"People will enjoy a refreshing beer while cheering on England, watching Glastonbury, or taking part in the many Pride festivities around the country.

"This year's Pride month marks the second anniversary of the BBPA's Open to All Charter. It makes certain that pubs are inclusive of all sections of our dynamic and diverse society.'

Around 2m fans are expected to watch the game in pubs, clubs and restaurants. Fan zones in Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, London, Manchester and Brighton will be packed.

The UEFA Euro 2024 Spending Report by VoucherCodes.co.uk estimates a TV audience of 21m. They predict 17.2m fans will tune in at home, spending £293.5m on retail goods. Hospitality venues will earn £93.4m.

Around 7.3m drinks are expected to be consumed during the game, including those bought by fans watching at home.

Former England star Wayne Bridge has urged England to reappoint Glenn Hoddle should Gareth Southgate depart.

Speaking exclusively to Mirror Sport on behalf of Betfred, he said: "I don’t think he’s ruled himself out of another job because he’s done quite well for England in the past. You always see managers getting sacked and then finding another job, so I don’t believe he’s ruled himself out.

"I’ve always said I’d go with an English manager and in that sense, you’ve got Eddie Howe who I think would do well. An old favourite of mine, but I don’t believe you can get him out of retirement, is Glenn Hoddle. He’s one of my favourite managers and with the tactical and mental side of the game, I think he’d do a brilliant job."

Serbia star Vanja Milinkovic-Savic clashed with a fan at a bar in Germany before his team's Euro 2024 elimination.

According to reports from his homeland, he was involved in a physical altercation after a supporter confronted him during a day off before the team's final group game.

Serbia eventually finished bottom of their group after just two points from three games.

Episode Six of the Euro Thrash podcast is here!

Regulars Wes Brown and Nubaid Haroo are joined by former England and Man Utd masseur Rod Thornley as he shares his unique insights on Euro 2024 and recounts fascinating stories from his career.

England head into Sunday's last-16 showdown with Slovakia as overwhelming favourites on paper.

And that billing makes a lot of sense given how much each squad is worth. The entire Slovakia squad is valued at just £129.65million which is around an EIGHTH of the cost of England’s star names who are worth £1.06billion.

It could be a very costly defeat if England don't find a route through to the quarter-finals then...