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Germany are alive. Not just that, but their reward is one of the juiciest -- in terms of history and hype -- matches that the game has to offer: a Euro 2020 knockout game at Wembley against England. How about that?

- Report: Germany scrape through with Hungary draw

Fundamentally, though, Germany are still alive because having been outplayed, out-thought and out-fought by Hungary, Jogi Low turned to the only tonic remaining in his medicine kit. It was the equivalent of pulling your goalie off the ice in hockey, or sending out five receivers and chucking a Hail Mary in American football: keep substituting defensive players for attacking players and pray that someone does something.

Essentially, cross your fingers and walk away a fool or a king. Or, more accurately in this case, a fallen sage, whose sophisticated plans turned to dust and who was ultimately saved by the bluntest of tactical instruments.

- Euro 2020 on ESPN: Stream LIVE games and replays (U.S. only)- European Soccer Pick 'Em: Compete to win $10,000- Euro 2020 bracket and fixture schedule

When Leon Goretzka's deflected shot skimmed off Hungary keeper Peter Gulacsi's foot and into the goal, there were six minutes to go. Six minutes until Germany made history: Never before had they fallen at the first hurdle in two consecutive major tournaments. There were also six forwards on the pitch -- twice the number Germany had begun the game with.

After the goal -- when momentum did a 180-degree turn, as it so often does at this stage of tournament football, and Hungary were now the ones needing a score to avoid elimination -- Germany finished with a back four that featured a winger (Leroy Sane) and a striker (Timo Werner) at full-back.

Rightly or wrongly, international football is a game of stereotypes: Brazil is creative, Italy is defensive, Colombia is flaky, Uruguay is tough as rusty nails. Germany's label had always been one of staid solidity and reliability. Even when they transitioned to a more creative, high-energy style in the modern era, and even when they weren't particularly good, there was always a plan: There was rarely desperation and hit-and-hope. Yet there was plenty of it in Munich on Wednesday night under the driving rain.

So much of what worked in the 4-2 win over Portugal was nowhere to be seen. The wingback duo of Robin Gosens and Joshua Kimmich, so devastating against Cristiano Ronaldo's crew, was largely silenced by an organised back five that ensured neither was afforded much space.

So much of what did not work was, again, painfully evident. Matthias Ginter and Mats Hummels will get the blame for letting Adam Szalai sneak between them and drive his header into the wet pitch and past Manuel Neuer after 11 minutes, but they're not alone. Watch it again: There are eight German players behind the ball when Roland Sallai hits his ball into the box. Hungary had just won the ball back in transition. There is no way that should have happened.

Germany went into the break stunned, having produced nothing other than a Hummels strike off the woodwork. It was as if they were sleepwalking, numbed by a Hungary side who will be going home early but deserve a ton of credit. They were written off by everyone (including yours truly) in part because they were the 19th-ranked team in the tournament, in part because they were without their best player, the injured Dominik Szoboszlai, in part because they were in a group with the reigning European champions, Portugal, they reigning World Cup champions, France and yes, Germany, who rarely screw things up two tournaments in a row.

Instead this team, featuring just four guys who ply their trade in a "Big Five" European league, held Portugal to a 0-0 draw until six minutes from time, had held France to a 1-1 draw and were beating Germany in Germany. Their coach, Marco Rossi, an Italian globetrotter as a player -- he was the first Italian to play in the Bundesliga and had played for Club America in Mexico, where he was managed by one Marcelo Bielsa -- who had spent the past decade in Hungary, was working miracles.

Low needed a miracle of his own, because little was working. The back three creaked at every counterattack. Ilkay Gundogan was overrun in the middle of the park. The front three of Kai Havertz, Serge Gnabry and Sane (who was picked ahead of Thomas Muller) looked like they had met just before kickoff via one of those pick-up soccer apps. Instead, he got a spot of good fortune as Gulacsi flailed on an innocuous ball into the box, Hummels' big head sent it goal-wards and Havertz was there to poke it in.

Normality restored? Yes, for about as long as it takes you to swipe twice on Instagram. Because Hungary manoeuvred the ball from the kickoff, Szalai hooked a through ball to Andreas Schaefer steaming in from deep, and he beat Manuel Neuer to make it 2-1. Germany were going home (or rather, given that they were in Munich, staying home). Again.

Low must have felt like the guy who finds out his lottery scratch-off has won him $100,000, only to see it slip out of his hands and into a manhole just as he's celebrating. There was nothing left to do at that point but bring the house. Leon Goretzka had come on a few minutes earlier; he'd be joined by Werner, Mueller, Jamal Musiala and Kevin Volland. The more, the merrier.

It worked. They won, and they live to fight another day, but this is a team that looked worse than anything Low had served up in a major tournament. And yes, that includes Russia 2018. Little worked and he had no answers until he chucked on everything he had on the bench and hoped that some combination of individual talent, randomness and luck would get the job done.

From here, Germany have six days to fix it. Six days until the clash with England at Wembley, when another chapter in the rivalry will be written. Six days in which Low will contemplate the fact that, right now, his team are underdogs and these could be his final days as coach of the national side.

Can he prolong it? Can he turn Germany's Euros around?

History is full of teams that stunk it up in the group stage and went on to win. (Heck, it happened with Portugal in 2018.) But the sense is that one of two things needs to happen. Either Low has to come up with a game plan that works and that gets buy-in from his players, or he takes a back seat and prays that his talented (but ill-fitting) pieces somehow snap themselves into a coherent pattern, perhaps abdicating some level of control to his veterans on the pitch, whether it's Toni Kroos or Muller or Neuer.

If his team serves up more of what we saw on Wednesday, the run -- and Low's career as Germany boss -- will come to an end against England at Wembley. It won't overly tarnish his legacy. He'll still be the tactical architect who, in six consecutive major tournaments, reached three semifinals and three finals (winning the 2014 World Cup along the way). But he'll also be remembered as the guy who stuck around for too long.

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Euro 2020 - Why Germany are lucky to be in the knockouts against England - ESPN

The UEFA 2020 European Football Championship is into the middle third of group stage play and we already have teams clinching berths in the knockout stage. The group stage consists of six groups of four teams, with each team playing one match against each of the other three teams. The top two teams in each group will advance to the Round of 16 and then the top four third place teams will also advance.

The majority of knockout stage berths will be clinched during the third round of group stage matches, but were already seeing some clinching scenarios during the second round of matches. Well be tracking each team that clinches a berth in the knockout stage to fill out the Euro 2020 bracket.

The Italians were the first to book their ticket to the knockout rounds as they cruised through their group with a pair of 3-0 wins over Turkey and Switzerland in their first two match days. Six points will almost always guarantee a top-two finish in the group stages, but it helps that both Switzerland and Turkey remained winless through their first two matches, with Turkey losing both of them while the Swiss logged a draw and a loss. With Switzerland at one point and Turkey at zero after two games, it became mathematically impossible for either team to catch up to Italy with only one game to play.

Italy will play their first knockout game on Saturday, June 26th, though they wont know their opponent until Monday the 21st when both Groups B and C wrap up their match day three. The Italians will face the second-place finishers of one of those groups depending on where they finish in their own group after their final game against Wales on Sunday.

June 24 update: Italy easily finished at the top of Group A as they won all three of their games without even conceding a goal. Theyll face off against Austria in the Round of 16 and are heavily favored to advance to the quarter finals.

Belgium stormed back in the second half against Denmark to win 2-1 and secure a spot in the knockout round. Theres a slight chance Belgium finishes third in the group if Finland wins by a massive margin and Russia does the same against Denmark, but six points is enough to get into the knockout round among qualifying third place teams if that were to happen. Given how the first two matches have played out, thats unlikely to be the case.

The biggest positive sign for fans and bettors backing Belgium was Kevin De Bruynes return to form in this match. The midfielder suffered a facial injury in the Champions League final and missed the opening match of Euro 2020, but had a goal and an assist in the win over Denmark. De Bruyne is a candidate for the best player of the tournament and showed why Thursday.

June 24 update: Belgium won all three of their games in the group stage and finished atop Group B with nine points six points clear of second-place Denmark. Led by Romelu Lukaku with three goals, the Belgians will take on the reigning UEFA Euro champs Portugal in their Round of 16 game.

Netherlands had a scare against Ukraine, but held on for a 3-2 victory before securing qualification to the group stage with a 2-0 win over Austria. Denzel Dumfries is emerging as a scorer for the Dutch with Memphis Depay continuing to be his usual self. Frank de Boers group is looking for more success in the knockout round.

After failing to reach the knockout round in 2012 and the Euro competition entirely in 2016, the Dutch have a great opportunity to make a deep run in this years tournament. They still may not win the group with certain results, but theyre definitely in the top two as Ukraine and Austria play each other in the final group stage game. Netherlands will play their knockout game on June 26 or 27 depending on their finish in Group C.

June 24 update: The Netherlands went undefeated in group play, winning all three of their games while only conceding two goals both to Ukraine. They finished first place in Group C and will take on the Czech Republic in the Round of 16.

It came down to the final day of group play for Wales to know if theyd be advancing to the knockouts or not. They were sitting pretty in second place heading into that final day, but Switzerland was only behind by three points and five goals in the differential column, so Wales needed some sort of combination to at least keep them on top if the Swiss beat Turkey. Turns out thats exactly what happened as Switzerland beat Turkey 3-1, and Wales only lost by one to Italy so they finished with a +1 goal differential, which was enough to clinch a second place finish.

Theyll go up against Denmark in the Round of 16, and without Christian Eriksen they could have a shot at moving on. If they advance, theyll play the winner of Netherlands-Czech Republic for a chance to head to the semi finals.

Austria clinched a spot in the knockout stage after defeating Ukraine 1-0. It finishes second in Group C and will meet a red-hot Italy team in the knockout round on June 26. Austria has a lot of talent with David Alaba, Cristoph Baumgartner and Marko Arnautovic, but it will need a perfect performance to take down Italy.

This is Austrias first appearance in the knockout stage at the European championship. The country has only made the Euros three times in its history with the previous two trips coming in 2008 and 2016.

Denmark needed the right results to advance on goal differential and did just that in a 4-1 win over Russia. Despite watching star Christian Eriksen collapse in the first match against Finland, Denmark held its nerve for the rest of the stage as results played out in their favor. Belgium scored a 2-0 win over Finland to help Denmark hold the best goal differential among itself, Finland and Russia.

The Danes did not qualify for the Euro in 2016, but have a strong history in the competition. They made the tournament every time from 1984-2004, even winning the title in 1992. With Eriksen recovering but unable to compete, you can bet Denmark will be a underdog many fans will back to go all the way.

June 24 update: Denmark finished in second place in Group B and will take on Wales in their Round of 16 match.

The Swiss knocked off Turkey 3-1 in their last game of the group stage to clinch the third spot in Group A on the final day of group play. A draw would have given them third place also, but they would have missed out on advancing as they would have been the worst third-place team with two points. As it stood, goals from Haris Seferovic and Xherdan Shaqiri, who bagged a brace, were enough to secure the win and get them through to the next round, sitting on four points after all three games.

Their time in the knockout round may be short-lived as theyll be going up against the reigning World Cup champions France, who won the group of death and were favorites to win coming into the tournament. Itll take a miracle for Switzerland to knock off the top dogs, but theyll have to rely on guys like Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka to push the attack in hopes of getting a lead up on the French.

Ukraine only logged a single win in the group stage with a 2-1 victory over North Macedonia, but it was enough to get them through and secure a third-place advancement by the skin of their teeth with a -1 goal differential, edging out Finland who also finished with three points but had a -2 differential. The Ukrainians nearly split points with the Netherlands in their opening game as it looked like they were heading to a draw after back-to-back goals from Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk made it 2-2 heading into the 80th minute. Dumfries pulled another back for the Dutch in the 85th minute, solidifying their 3-2 win. Ukraine closed out the group stage with a 1-0 loss to Austria.

Theyll now set their sights on the Round of 16 where theyll first meet up with Sweden, but its already been a win for Ukraine as this is the first time theyve ever made it past the group stage in the European championships. They qualified in 2012 and 2016, but were eliminated in the group stage in both, winning only one of their six games played in those two tournaments. Theyll look to come out and shock Sweden in the Round of 16, but the Swedes are favored here and will most likely not have much trouble advancing.

England wrapped up their group stage campaign in first place thanks to a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic. They didnt have much to show in their attack as they only managed to score two goals through all three games, with Manchester Citys Raheem Sterling grabbing both of them. It was enough to lock up the top spot in Group D though, as each of those goals was a game winner in 1-0 finishes against Croatia and Czech Republic, while Englands contest against Scotland ended in a scoreless draw.

The Three Lions will face off against Germany on June 29th in London, and theyve got their work cut out for them. Theyll have to find a way to score against Germanys solid defense, and cant just rely on Raheem Sterling to take care of the finishing for them. England has plenty of capable attackers in the likes of Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Jack Grealish, so scoring shouldnt be a problem for them if theyre firing on all cylinders. Germany wont be an easy task, but if they can get past them in the Round of 16, theyll move on to play against the winner of Sweden-Ukraine in the quarter finals.

Croatia, led by midfielder Luka Modric, clinched their berth into the knockout rounds with a 3-1 win over Scotland on the last day of their group play. Vlasic opened the scoring in the 17th minute while Modric and Perisic each added a goal in the second half to take the much-needed three points. That left them tied on points with the Czech Republic, but they won the tiebreaker on goals scored and finished second place in Group D.

Croatia has been in every Euro competition since 1996, but have failed to make it past the quarter finals each time. They made it to the Round of 16 in 2016, but lost a close 1-0 game to Portugal in extra time. Theyll face off with Spain in their first knockout game which wont be an easy task, and if they win that one theyll most likely have to play against France in the next round, so theyve got a mighty tough road ahead of them if they want to make a deep run this year.

The Czech Republic only won once in the group stage a 2-0 victory over Scotland while they logged a 1-1 draw to Croatia and finished up with a 1-0 loss to England. Patrik Schick leads the way with three goals, including a brace in their opening match which featured a world-class goal heard around the world. In fact, Schick scored all of his teams goals, following up the first two with a successful penalty kick in the 1-1 draw with Croatia.

Now theyll butt heads with a fantastic Netherlands team who cruised through Group C, winning all three of their games and clinching the top spot. Theyve had a decent run in the past, making it to the semi finals in 2004 and the quarter finals again in 2012, and they even won the championship back in 1976 when they were still Czechoslovakia. Still, its no surprise that the Dutch are favored to win this one, and the Czech Republic will have to find someone to help Schick out in the goal-scoring department if they want to have a chance of advancing to the quarter finals.

Sweden, with a thrilling 3-2 win over Poland thanks to a goal from Viktor Claesson in the 4th minute of stoppage time, clinched first place in Group E just in the nick of time. A draw would have seen them finish in second place just behind Spain, especially with the Spanishs +5 goal differential after their 5-0 drubbing of Slovakia. This was Swedens second win of the group stage, as they opened the campaign with a scoreless draw with Spain, followed up by a 1-0 win over Slovakia. Emil Forsberg is currently the teams leading scorer with three goals, while Claesson is the only other player to have notched a goal in the group stage.

The Swedes will take on Ukraine and are favored to win without much trouble. RBR Leipzig star Forsberg will certainly be leading the way, creating plenty of chances for Sweden to go ahead and run away with the game. If they advance past Ukraine, theyll be taking on the winner of England and Germany which could get dicey. This is Swedens seventh appearance in the tournament, with their best finish coming in 1992 when they reached the semi finals. They hit the quarter finals in 2004 also, but crashed out in the group stage in each competition otherwise.

Spain surprisingly didnt clinch a spot until the very last day of play in Group E, when they easily took down Slovakia with a 5-0 score line. In addition to two on goals on Slovakias part, the Spanish side added goals from Aymeric Laporte, Pablo Sarabia, and Ferran Torres. Everything hinged on this match for Spain, because coming into it they were only sitting on two points, having logged draws in their first two matches against Sweden and Poland. If Slovakia could have pulled off a win or a draw, then they would have been sitting pretty in second place and Spain might not have advanced.

Nonetheless, theyll turn their focus to to Croatia in the Round of 16 where theyre heavily favored to advance. If they do get past the Croatians, theyll play the winner of France-Switzerland, and lets be honest, we all are 99 percent sure who will be advancing out of that one. So the road ahead could be a little rocky for Spain, and theyre not quite the supergiants they once were when you could automatically assume theyll win the majority of their games.

While France wasnt quite as dominant as they were expected to be in the group stage, they still finished at the top of the group with five points after a 1-0 victory over Germany, a 1-1 draw with Hungary, and another 2-2 draw with Portugal on the final day of group play. The group of death was no cake walk, and Hungary made a case for themselves by drawing two of their games against some of the worlds best teams. Karim Benzema leads the way with two goals while Antoine Griezmann added one of his own, and surprisingly the young superstar Kylian Mbappe didnt get on the score sheet at all through the first three games.

France will now meet up with Switzerland in the Round of 16, and they are massively favored to win, which is a surprise to nobody, really. The reigning World Cup champions are still one of the favorites to win the competition overall, and theyre poised to make a deep run especially with a lopsided first match-up in the Round of 16. If they advance, theyll play the winner of Croatia-Spain, and then could meet up with any number of teams including Belgium, Portugal, and Italy.

The four-time World Cup champions almost didnt make it out of the group stage. They were just minutes away from dropping a 2-1 result against Hungary on the last day of group play, which would have left them with three points and sitting last place in the table. Luckily for the Germans, Leon Goretzka found an equalizer in the 84th minute that turned the game around completely, earning a 2-2 draw and a second-place finish in Group F.

Theyll take on the Group D winners England in their Round of 16 match, which should be a thriller for both sides. Kai Havertz leads the scoring for Germany with two, while Goretzka and Robin Gosens have a goal apiece. Own goals played a big part in their campaign as well, as two of those in their 4-2 win over Portugal helped them lock down a ticket to the knockouts. England is currently favored to win, but not by much, and anything can happen when these two sides meet up. If Germany gets past the Three Lions, theyll face off with the winner of Sweden-Ukraine.

The reigning UEFA European champions didnt have an easy time in the group of death, but they made it out with a third-place finish thanks to a +1 goal differential. Portugal opened the campaign with a 3-0 win over Hungary, but those three goals didnt start coming until the 84th minute when Raphael Guerreiro broke the 0-0 deadlock. Cristiano Ronaldo added two more to finish off the job. They lost their next game to Germany 4-2, then finished up the group stage with a 2-2 draw with France.

Ronaldo is the current golden boot leader with five goals, a full two goals clear of anyone else on his trail. The 36-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down in what is sure to be his last-ever UEFA Euro competition, since hell be 39 and most likely retired when the next one comes around. Portugal will look to win back-to-back titles this year, but the road to the final wont be easy as they first have to get through Belgium, who won all three of their group stage games and seem to be flying high with the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne. If Portugal were to advance, theyll meet up with the winner of Italy-Austria in the quarter finals.

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Euro 2021 bracket: Which teams have clinched a berth in the knockout stage - DraftKings Nation

England boss Gareth Southgate admits he has a decision to make on Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell as they prepare to rejoin the rest of the group.

The pair are completing the final hours of isolation, having come into contact with Chelsea team-mate Billy Gilmour who tested positive for coronavirus.

And Southgate must now decide whether the work they have done away from the main group in the build-up to Tuesdays last-16 clash with Germany has prepared them sufficiently for the game.

Southgate said: They are having to travel separate to the team and they have had individual training programmes this week. The only sessions they have been able to do is join in with us when there hasnt been full team training, so they havent been training fully with the team.

As from midnight tonight they can be back with the group. Its really complicated because theres the physical periodisation you want for a game like this, then theres the tactical side and they have been in a different room on Zoom for that having to dial in.

But they are young players who I think can get on with things pretty well, so thats the decision weve got to make really, whether we think that what theyve been able to do will prepare them enough for the game.

England will be looking to win only their second knockout game at a European Championship, and Southgate said: Its an incredible record really.

England Training St Georges Park Monday June 28th

(PA Wire)

Something we have spoken about over the last four years is that this team doesnt carry the baggage from previous eras, many of them werent even born when many of those things happened and it is an irrelevance for them.

Its a real opportunity to progress to a quarter-final, albeit against a team with pedigree and experience, but it is a game we are looking forward to.

As a team weve looked very strong defensively, which in tournaments is an important factor. Theres no hiding from that.

Of course, we want to be a bit more fluid and we havent been able to achieve that yet, but I think probably most teams in the tournament are feeling the same way about that.

On Germany, Southgate said: Although I keep reading lots of negative comments about them, I see a team thats well-prepared, tactically know what theyre doing, that work together, so we know its a really, really tough game for us.

Theyve been in an incredibly tough qualifying group and the quality of the matches and the standard of the opponent has been really high, so that will have prepared them for big matches straight away.

They also have huge big-match experience: four World Cup winners, numerable Champions League winners, so theyre a very accomplished team.

The England boss continued: I dont necessarily think that this game is any bigger than the Scotland game, or any bigger than the Croatia game in the first game in the tournament.

Soccer Euro 96 Semi Final England v Germany Wembley

(PA Archive)

But its a top-quality opponent that were playing and, of course, if the players choose to listen to all the build-up then a lot of historys involved in the fixture.

On the Euro 96 semi-final clash at Wembley, Southgate said: It was an incredible match to be a part of.

A European Championship semi-final. Its the only one England have been to. I just have brilliant memories of playing in a team full of great characters, good players, experienced leaders.

It was a brilliant summer in terms of the whole experience with a result and an end that I didnt want and the team didnt want, so that would be my take on it really.

England v Iceland UEFA Euro 2016 Round of 16 Stade de Nice

(PA Archive)

Englands last knockout game at a European Championship saw them defeated by Iceland in the last 16 and striker Harry Kane said: Theres only a few of us left that were involved in that tournament, and that game in particular.

You learn from experiences like that, I did for sure, and the players did for sure.

Kane won the golden boot at the World Cup three years ago but has yet to score in this tournament. He said: As a striker you go through good spells and spells that dont go your way.

But we are winning games and that is the most important thing. However we do it, the objective is to get through and that is what we did in the group and that will be the aim again tomorrow.

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Gareth Southgate admits he has decision to make on Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell - The Independent

When Dani Olmo's right-footed cross curled through the fervent Copenhagen evening, it only had one man's name on it.

The name of a striker who has plied his trade at the top of European football for the duration of his career, the name of a player chosen to lead the line for one of the continent's great footballing heavyweights.

But also the name of a 28-year-old man with a wife and a young family, whose struggles at Euro 2020 have provoked unforgivable threats from poisonous throats and wicked fingers.

"I would like people to put themselves in my shoes and think what it's like to get threats towards my family, people saying: 'I hope your children die'," Alvaro Morata told Cadena Cope this week, after scoring once but missing a catalogue of chances during the group stage.

"I've had to leave my phone outside my room.My wife and children have come to the stadium in Seville with Morata on the back of their shirts and people have been shouting at them.

"It's complicated. I understand people booing me for missing chances but there's a limit."

Olmo, who himself slammed Morata's abusers for "going beyond" had put his team-mate in the spotlight once more. It was a perfect cross at odds with the frenzied, haywire nonsense that had gone before.

But then,that's Spain at major tournaments nowadays. It's complicated.

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Since winning Euros 2008 and 2012 either side of the 2010 World Cup, Spain were without a win in major tournament knockout games ahead of Monday's last-16 encounter with Croatia at Parken Stadium.

At the 2014 World Cup, they were dumped out at the group stage, at Euro 2016 they were comprehensively outplayed by Antonio Conte's Italy and the hosts bored them to a penalty shoot-out loss at Russia 2018.

But this time it would be different, right?

In Luis Enrique, they have a high-class coach with a point to prove. Theyput collective goalscoring demons behind them by shellacking Slovakia 5-0 and began against Croatia with authoritative dominance.

Pedri, the youngest player to start a European Championship knockout game at 18 years and 215 days, had everyone dancing to his tune. A stunning throughball released Koke, who should have scored. Morata, naturally, also should have scored but misjudged a header.

It seemed a matter of time before Spain scored with Pedri heavily involved. The Barcelona youngster pinging a 40-yard backpass beyond a haphazard attempt at control from goalkeeper Unai Simon giving Croatia the lead before they had enjoyed either a shot or a touch inside the opposition penalty area was not in anyone's script, however.

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Scripts, match reports and strands of hair have long since been ripped apart by the time Morata smoothly controlled Olmo's centre with his right foot.

It was time to make his impression upon a contest of clinical finishing and frazzled brains.

"The situation is so serious that it must be put in the hands of the police because it is a serious crime," Luis Enrique rightly said when addressing the media this week.

"Insulting Morata's relatives is a crime and I hope it is corrected outright."

In the sporting sense, he had seen his team fall victim to an improbable heist and needed the centre-forward he trusts above all others.

Around 50 minutes earlier, Morata could look on with satisfaction and leave the finishing to right-back Cesar Azpilicueta, who powered home Ferran Torres' 57th-minute cross.

The effervescent Pablo Sarabia equalised before half-time and Torres getting in on the act showed Spain have enough firepower to absorb Morata's more erratic moments and enjoy his slick, intelligent link play. He created two openings for team-mates and completed 84 per cent of his passes deep in Croatian territory.

Luka Modric, the old master so outplayed by Pedri, was goaded into penning the sting in the tail as he shuffledtowards the Spain six-yard box to set up substitute Mislav Orsic.

Right then, it felt as if Luis Enrique might have erred in taking off Sarabia, Torres and Koke to rest their legs for the quarters, not to mention disrupting Aymeric Laporte and Eric Garcia's central defensive pairing by throwing on Pau Torres for the latter.

When Mario Pasalic converted Orsic's brilliant delivery from deep to spark unbridled bedlam, we had our answer.

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Morata's perfect first touch granted him time in a game where no one seemed to have any, despite an additional 30 minute being bolted on.

Orsic blazed over at the start of extra time with Spain rocking, while Andrej Kramaric drew a magnificent save from Simon when the score was 3-3.

In terms of redemptive moments, that was only the supporting act.

Where he has snatched at changes so often of late, Morata found time to breath and let the ball drop enough for him to drive his left boot brutally through.

It was in from the moment he connected. Olmo's fellow sub Mikel Oyarzabal concluded a 5-3 win, making Spain the first team to score five goals in consecutive European Championship matches.

That's an awful lot to celebrate for some who have mercilessly tormented their hero of the hour and his loved ones. They don't deserve Alvaro Morata, and the endurance and perseverance that mean one of this tournament's greatest ever games belongs to him.

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England v Sri Lanka: Perera looking to pick up the pieces with tourists in shambles - sportsmax.tv

In some ways, Thursday nights 1-0 win over Honduras in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals was not at all what the U.S. mens national team wanted.

It was a grind. It was ugly at times. The U.S. often looked disjointed in the midfield. Honduras exploited them in transition when the game got stretched. For 89 minutes, it felt like a game bound for penalties and a result bound for disappointment.

In other ways, Thursdays game was exactly what this U.S. team needed.

It was a grind. It wasnt pretty. It was heated. Yet in the games waning moments, Jordan Siebatcheu dove and headed the ball into the upper netting, lifting the U.S. to a crucial win in a knockout game against a regional rival.

For many of the new faces on this incredibly young U.S. team, it was the first true test ahead of the falls World Cup qualifiers. And many of those will feel like this.

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USMNT beats Honduras: Takeaways from an ugly result - The Athletic