Image: Spain's winning penalty was scored by Mikel OyarzabalSpain was spectacular on Friday, outside of both penalty areas. Their buildup through the lines was smooth and outwards was brilliant; Pedri and Koke were bright and Sergio Busquets and Sergio Busquets had a great job. Jordi Alba was a huge nuisance to the left.It was almost like watching old Spain until the ball reached the area.This game shouldn't have been decided by penalties. Spain lost because of another defensive error and poor finishing.Gerard Moreno took six shots from the bench. Three of those were clear-cut opportunities and he looked a little unsure. The 29-year old has only had 15 attempts at this tournament, despite scoring 30 goals last season for Villarreal.Spain will be hoping that these minor improvements are not as serious as the Pau Torres–Aymeric Laporte error that lead to Switzerland's goal.They displayed a clear play pattern and will be dominant against any other side in the tournament. Although possession in football is not nine-tenths anymore, the three previous games show that Spain will have plenty of opportunities.After all the chaos in preparing for the tournament - the Covid epidemic and general apathy toward this side from Spanish publish - Luis Enrique’s side will fancy itself.Gerard BrandImage: Leonardo Bonucci celebrates Gianluigi DonrummaRoberto Mancini had promised that his team would face the country at the top of the FIFA world rankings. He was right as Italy beat Belgium in an exciting contest to reach the semi-finals.Mancini's team conceded the first goal in 19:28 minutes against Austria in their last-16 win, but their quarterfinal opponents were an impressive step up.Italy has now won each of their last 13 consecutive games and extended their longest unbeaten streak to 32 games after that reality check.Roberto Martinez tried to shock Mancini by starting the teenager Jeremy Doku instead of Eden Hazard, but it was the Azzurri that took control after a frantic first 10 minutes.Belgium had, like the Italians won all four of their first games. However, they were unable to win at Wembley against Austria. Mancini resisted any conservative tactics and was rewarded with his courage.He said, "I don’t think we suffered too many in any moment of this game." "To beat a Belgian team, you need to have a great performance from everyone and this was exactly what happened.Image: Spain will face Italy in Tuesday's semi-finals"We scored two, but we could have scored more. The victory was well deserved, I believe. Spain is next, but it gets more difficult the further you move.It is the first time in European Championship history that Italy has won 15 consecutive games with a 2-1 win at the Allianz Arena.Mancini also had his share of history, being the second coach to win all five of the finals matches, after Michel Hidalgo who won every match in charge of France at 1984 edition.Spain will be a tough test. This is made more difficult by the fact that Leonardo Spinazzola suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during his second-half exit.Mancini called his team together at the end of the game to point one finger at them: "One game at a moment." Although there were many cheers from the fans, the calm manner in which Italy played throughout the match shows that no one is getting too excited.Ben GroundsFool's gold? It's not quite. The golden generation of Belgium, which has been the top-ranked team for almost three years, will not be able to claim glory until their quarter-final loss to Italy, 2-1. They were defeated by the stronger side, despite having a good margin.Roberto Martinez called Portugal the "biggest test there is", but Italy presented new challenges with Leonardo Spinazzola's running from deep and their subtlety in midfield rotations. Belgium were outmanoeuvred. They couldn't find the answers.Portugal had crossed the line against this ageing defense - a trio of men with an average age of 101 – and was repelled. Italy's offense was more complex, and the movement and pressing were more difficult. It was difficult to see the contrast.Belgium had still talent on the pitch with a world-class striker Romelu Lukaku, and perhaps the best playmaker in the tournament in Kevin De Bruyne. They were almost able to overcome this quality. However, the synergy that was so evident in Italy's game was missing.De Bruyne, who is already frustrated after being so close to Champions League victory in May, will likely wonder if there are better opportunities. Lukaku is still in his prime, but time is running out for the rest of this team.Belgium's squad features the six most-capped players in Belgium's history, as well as Thibaut Courtois, the most capped goalkeeper. Although the World Cup looks imminent, 15 players from this group will be 30 years old by the time Qatar arrives.It is time for a rebuild, but it is not club football. Although Jeremy Doku, a teenager, was impressive against Italy's government, it is impossible to imagine that a country of 12 million people will be able find Eden Hazard's replacement easily. There are only so many possibilities.Roberto Martinez now has two.Did he too heavily rely on stagers like Thomas Vermaelen and other old-timers? Did he really need to rush Axel Witsel back after not playing in six months? He was not able to believe in Nacer Chadli and he succumbed to a muscle injury after only four minutes.It is perhaps not the right time to get into the details. Belgium was defeated by an Italy team that seemed buoyed and confident. Some of these players felt this was too much - too much for the tournament. The golden generation will be fondly remembered, but the shine has worn off.Adam BateImage: Switzerland was defeated 3-1 by penaltiesAfter their meek loss to Italy, Switzerland was subject to strong criticism. They have now escaped Euro 2020, having silenced those critics. Vladimitr Petrovic's side was not here to make up numbers.The Swiss beat Turkey 3-1 to reach the knockout stage, before returning from the dead to beat favourites France with penalties. On Friday night, they put on another energetic performance against Spain in difficult circumstances.Their spot-kick heroics were not repeated. They only managed to score one of their four attempts. It was not surprising that their legs were tired after they had completed the race twice in five days, this time with 10 people.Switzerland looked stronger than they did before Remo Freuler's redcard, 13 minutes later.Spain had dominated the first stages of the match, taking an early lead with Denis Zakaria’s goal. But, a switch to the four backs brought the Swiss back in the game. They had the chance to win the game either side of Xherdan Shahiri's equalizer.Sometimes they rode their luck in extra time. Yann Sommer made a series of outstanding saves. But their defensive resolve was admirable. The red-shirted players worked together tirelessly and were willing to do anything for their teammates. It wasn't enough. They can still head home with their heads high.Nick Wright
