Euro 2016 - 5 Things we learned from Day 17

France survive the first half horror show to advance

It looked like the hosts were heading out after an opening 45 minutes where France couldn’t even muster a decent attack, let alone look like scoring. Paul Pogba, perhaps guilty of trying too hard this tournament, gave away a needless penalty with barely a minute on the clock and France were up against it. They had no answer to Ireland’s physical, pressing game and the revenge mission was on.

Didier Deschamps took off the booked N’Golo Kante, dropped Pogba deeper, and threw on Kingsley Coman to get at Ireland’s backline. It worked to an extent but the real game changer was moving Antoine Griezmann inside and aiming diagonal balls towards Olivier Giroud. The Atletico Madrid striker grabbed a quick brace and Ireland never recovered. Shane Duffy brought Griezmann down on the edge of the box a few minutes later and was given his marching orders. France had the odd wobble at the back but for the most part looked confident of closing the game out.

Deschamps still appears uncertain of how to fit everyone into his starting XI but if Griezmann continues to drift inside and feed off knockdowns, they’re halfway there. He needs to sort out the balance in midfield but with Kante suspended for the quarter final, it seems that problem will fix itself.

When Ireland ran out of stream, France ran over them

Oh, Ireland. They either seem to be cursed with the worst luck or they give you hope before crushing your dreams. Speaking of dreams, they couldn’t have asked for a better start. Pogba decided he wanted a test of strength with Shane Long but ended up clumsily fouling the Southampton forward. Robbie Brady stepped up and converted the perfect penalty and sent their travelling fans into raptures. Take that Thierry Henry and your handball goal!

It was a glorious opening 45 minutes but what followed was the complete opposite. Ireland’s approach to the game on first glance appeared admirable but it became quite obvious they didn’t have the energy levels to see it through. France tore them apart at will and when Ireland were reduced to 10 men you saw the task was beyond them, as heads dropped and damage control became the order of the day.

While this particular Irish squad isn’t the strongest maybe it’s time they looked at overhauling their current setup. You can only play the plucky underdog card for so long and it grows tiring if nothing is done to change that fact. it’s about shaping future generations into better squads by investing at grassroots level. Their wonderful fans deserve better.

No one wants to face Germany

Well, the bad news for everyone else is that Germany look very strong. The good news is that they’ll face either Spain or Italy in the quarter finals so the amount of big nations in the Euros will be reduced by two. While, with the greatest respect in the world, Slovakia aren’t the best side left in the competition they were ripped apart with ease by a German side that look to have found their groove.

The introduction of a focal point to their attack in Mario Gomez has seen them become a lot more ruthless in front of goal. Gomez himself got the second goal just before half-time and it was sandwiched between two crackers from Jerome Boateng and Julian Draxler. The latter, who replaced Mario Gotze in the starting XI, the standout performer as he ran the show until he was replaced in the 72nd minute. Germany are, right now, the team to beat.

Belgium have the talent but still look vulnerable

There’s so much to enjoy about this Belgium side when it’s in full flow. With Premier League proven attackers in Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku you are always going to have a chance but even still it feels like something is missing. It’s like having a 100-piece puzzle that looks great but there’s one piece missing and you can’t take your attention away from gap. It’s nearly great, but it feels flawed.

After Toby Alderweireld gave Belgium an early lead so many flowing, easy on the eye attacks broke down because of a lazy final ball. It was often too easy for them to get behind Hungary’s defence and over-thinking became a real issue as the game wore on. Thankfully they had an inspired Hazard who displayed the type of performance we all know he’s capable of. Hungary couldn’t cope but when Hazard’s in that type of mood, not many teams can.

Hungary played the right way but were beaten by a better side

Another side that can be extremely proud of their performance at Euro 2016 is Hungary. After a 30-year absence from a major international tournament they left nothing in reserve whenever they walked off the pitch in France. Some smaller sides adopted a defensive first approach but not Hungary. If only more sides had followed their lead.

They hung on for as long as possible against a more talented Belgian side but in the end, quality shined through. It took Hazard, having arguably the best individual performance of the Euros, to make the difference as he tirelessly ran at the Hungarian backline. The three late goals shouldn’t overshadow what was a tough game for the Belgium - and everyone else who’ve faced this experienced Hungary side in France.