Euro 2020 reached the final four following a quarterfinal stage in which England defeated Ukraine 4-0, Denmark beat Czech Republic 2 to 1, and Italy beat Belgium 2 to 1. Spain defeated Switzerland on penalties following a normal-time 1-1 draw. Some big questions are answered by our writers.BracketWhich of the four remaining teams did the best job, in relation to their abilities?Gab Marcotti: Italy has played their best overall but they were also top seeds so reaching the semifinals was always the goal. Denmark is the one that has achieved more, if you ask me. Although I believed they were outsiders, it was difficult to see them moving back after the trauma of the first game -- both the defeats as well as Christian Eriksen's fall -- They did it, and they did it very well. They've also transformed themselves, which is a credit to coach Kasper Hilmand. He's also changed four starters and systems since the Euro 2020 start. The tournament's most exciting player, Winger Mikkel Damsgaard, has emerged and the team is buzzing with excitement.Mark Ogden says: I am also going to Italy. Roberto Mancini did a remarkable job. This fair was possible with the help of creaking, aged defenders Giorgio Chiellini, and Leonardo Bonucci. A midfield that lacks a top player, and two journeymen forwards, Ciro Immobile, and Andrea Belotti, is testament to their achievements. Italy is a team that is more than the sum of its parts. Spain has been disappointing and Denmark have lost their first two matches. England are now the favourites due to their 4-0 win against Ukraine in quarterfinals.James Olley: Denmark must be it, since a semifinal appearance in the tournament is an amazing transformation. It is not emotion that has brought them this far. They are clearly close-knit, and Eriksen's scare has made it even more so. Denmark's defense is very well organized with Andreas Christensen and Simon Kjaer, Jannik Vestergaard, Kasper Schmeichel, and Jannik Vestergaard providing solid foundations. Joakim Maehle, fullback, has been one the highlights of the tournament. Kasper Dolberg, forward, is likely to reach greater heights than his club (Nice).Julien Laurens: Italy has been playing in this manner for the past two years so it was to be expected. Actually. It seems that Spain, England, and Italy are all performing as we expected. Denmark has exceeded our expectations both in style and results. The team's movement and positioning of their centre-backs, their use of half-spaces and the form of Maehle, Damsgaard as well as how they press and counterpress. Hjulmand does a great job without Eriksen.Rob Dawson: Denmark are an excellent side. They rank 10th in the world. Reaching the semifinals would be an amazing achievement, even without the tragic circumstances surrounding Eriksen. They have done their football the right way. Although it can be tempting to put too much emphasis on smaller countries being organized, compact, and getting results, Denmark has played exciting attacking football. Their past three matches saw them score 10 goals, their highest ever total at a major tournament. England have yet to concede in five of their five games. However, Denmark will be excited about their chance at at least one at Wembley. James is right. Although Dolberg's trajectory has not been the one he expected, he is still using the Euros as a way to prove that all of his promise was true.Play 0:42 Nedum Onuoha and Steve McManaman break down England's victory over Ukraine 4-0. They reflect on the things that impressed them about England's win over Ukraine in the Euro 2020 quarterfinals.Which player's performance is the most memorable?Olley: Raheem sterling has had to fight for his identity throughout his England career. He had a poor season in Manchester City, making him vulnerable to Jack Grealish and Phil Foden's clamour to be there. However, he has proven Gareth Southgate right every time and was the catalyst for England's victory over Ukraine. His willingness to move forward with the ball was the catalyst once again, providing Harry Kane's opening goal with an incisive pass. This is a testament to how smart he can be when in form. Sterling is now a key member of a team that exceeds expectations.Marcotti: Leonardo Spinazzola, I give it to you. The tournament's best left-back was not only Italy's most outstanding player but was also arguably the best player. It was heartbreaking to not see him again due to injury. He was decisive in each game he played.Ogden: Spain's luck runs out for SwitzerlandOgden: The tournament's star goalkeeper Yann Sommer from Switzerland was a standout player. He ended the tournament with what is arguably the most impressive individual performance against any player at Euro 2020, in the quarterfinal loss to Spain. The 120-minute drama ended in Spain winning on penalties. I was there to witness it. Sommer was applauded and cheered by fans as he appeared on the big screen. Without Sommer's heroics, the game would have lasted only 90 minutes. Sommer produced a series of outstanding saves to deny the Spaniards, most from Gerard Moreno, who was disbelieving. He even saved in the penalty shootout. After seeing his Swiss teammates fail from the spot, Sommer was awarded a place in semis.Laurens: Sterling wasn't even England's most successful player against Ukraine. Spinazzola's injury was very sad. However, his performance against Belgium wasn't as impressive as it was earlier in the tournament. Mark, I'm sure Sommer is delighted that you chose him. But there can only be one winner in this tournament, and that's Pedri. Spain's midfielder was only 18 years old, and he was the best player against Switzerland. His intelligence, maturity, and composure with the ball are all amazing. It is also frightening that he is not the complete article.Dawson: Harry Kane is a credit to himself for how he handled himself during Euro 2020. Although his place in the England team was being question a few weeks ago, he now looks back at the Tottenham player that they see every week. He made the difference against Ukraine and, if he hadn't missed the opportunity, it could have been totally different. He scored and Ukraine were on the back foot immediately. England won the game. Kane headed a second, and could have had a hat-trick. However, Georgiy Bushchan snuffed out his spectacular volley. A great striker only needs one chance and he got his in a huge game. This is the mark of a great player.Denmark has been remarkable given the challenges they have faced. Naomi Baker/Getty ImagesWhat is your opinion on multi-venue formats after seeing it in action?Marcotti: It's fantastic. We are in COVID-19, so we have limited travel. But imagine what it would be like with COVID, all in one location. We would have had very few fans outside of the host country anyway. Baku is far from St. Petersburg, and it is difficult to reach there... but what the heck? All these games would have sold out under normal circumstances. It would have been possible to participate in it from other countries. In what parallel universe will Scotland host the Euros? Or Hungary? Oder Romania? Oder Azerbaijan Or Ireland, if Dublin hadn’t pulled out). It was fine as a one-off. This is exactly what it was intended to be.Olley: Gab is correct in that it has been better suited for a pandemic world. Because there are more host countries, it has reduced the travel time and made it easier for fans to be able to watch their favorite team play. It has also given some teams an advantage. It is not a coincidence that all four semifinalists participated in all three group matches at their home. While some nations have had to move around and change their base often, others, such as England, have had all the comforts of home for less than 36 hours. If the world is learning to live with COVID-19 then I hope it's a one-off. The essence of tournaments is a melting pot, where people from all over the world arrive in one country and put their best foot forward for four consecutive weeks. It's hard to find a way to bring out the clash of cultures, and it's diluted by UEFA’s current format.Ogden: I'm sorry guys, but it hasn't worked at all. It has been lacking an atmosphere, a feeling of a host welcoming it and making it a carnival. Euro 2020 could have been held in one country. Fans could have set up and observed the COVID-19 quarantine and then be free to roam around and make sure that big quarterfinal matches were played in full stadiums. St. Petersburg and Budapest were cities that welcomed the tournament and made it easily accessible to me, while Glasgow felt like an inconvenience. It has been almost impossible for international fans to attend London games. The travelling costs for teams have been enormously disproportional -- Switzerland flew more than 7,000 miles while England spent just four weeks at home, with the exception of a weekend in Rome.Laurens: Mark is right here. It has been a circus, with all the regulations. It has been too advantageous for teams that played at home, as they didn't have the travel costs and could entertain their fans in the stadium. It's no surprise that all four semifinalists played their group games at home. Don't forget to mention the "Azerbaijan and Scotland would never have hosted a Euros other than that" line. They didn't host Euros... They hosted one or two games and sometimes three. It didn't feel like Euros to them at all.Dawson: Although the idea of bringing Euros to countries where they wouldn't normally get to host them was sound, UEFA should have canceled it as soon as it became clear that it would be held in the midst of a pandemic. Fans have had a difficult time traveling from one country to another while trying to navigate different COVID-19 protocols. What's the point in a tournament if they don't like it? UEFA had very limited options and has done a great job getting the tournament off the ground. Fans feel like an afterthought, when they should be first.- European Soccer Pick'Em: Enter to Win $10,000- Watch ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. Only)- Euro 2020 on ESPN - Stream LIVE games, replays and more (U.S.play 0:50. Why hasn’t Belgium got over the hump yet? Alessandro Del Piero and Tim Howard react to Belgium's defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 quaderfinals.Is Belgium's "Golden Generation" missing the chance to win a major tournament in Belgium?Dawson: This is a talented team, but the chance to win something for this generation has passed. They aren't getting better, or younger. It is hard enough to win the European Championships or World Cups, even if the core team is nearing the end of their careers. International football is a system that works in cycles. Different countries find the right players at different times. All you can do to cash in on it when it happens. Spain was the winner with three trophies from 2008 to 2012, while Belgium came in last. They can only hope this group inspires another generation, and that their time comes again.Ogden: Yes. With Belgium, it's more than talent. Let's discuss whether they are able to think like a winner in major tournaments or if they are street smart enough to beat Italy in the quarterfinal. They rarely deliver when teams are promised they will be the next big thing (England from 2001-07 / Mauricio pochettino's Tottenham 2014-19). Perhaps the expectation pressure becomes too much. Belgium has the stars, but perhaps they have too many. There is no one who I see as the leader or the one driving them to victory. Too many are waiting for someone else to step in. Belgium has missed their chance so it is time to impose that "Golden Generation" tag on another team.Marcotti: Italy and Belgium combine old and new, but it is a missed chance for the golden generation of BelgiumMarcotti: I am not responsible for it. However, I did write a 2010 piece about Belgium's Golden Generation which received some attention. To be completely honest, my main concern is the back. They're fine to go back to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne may be fit, Romelu Kuku is scoring, Youri Tielemans has impressed, and Jeremy Doku still has more to offer. These guys will all be back, although Axel Witsel may not be, but Leander Dendoncker can step in. The problem is at the back. You're not squeezing another major event out of Jan Vertonghen or Thomas Vermaelen, I think. This is the issue for me.Olley: Vermaelen, Vertonghen, and Toby Alderweireld are 35, 34, and 32 respectively. The quick turnaround to Qatar is evident so it's reasonable to believe that two or three of them will continue dancing for one more dance. However, they don't get any better and are already weak links in a talented group. It is time to change the manager. Roberto Martinez did an admirable job keeping Belgium at the top FIFA rankings, but they have never really reached the peak in tournaments.Laurens: Could we please stop with this "Golden Generation” nonsense? They haven’t won anything, and that’s not the way to go. They are a talented team that has been together for some time, but something is missing. Martinez should stay in charge, unlike James. Belgium will attempt to play in Qatar again, and I think it's a good thing that Vermaelen or Vertonghen are retiring. Jason Denayer is available to take over as defence and Pascal Struijk can play for Belgium. ProLeague stars like Marco Kana and Killian Sardella will also be able to play. The future is bright for the national team.
