Belgium faces Italy in the Euro quarterfinals. The match will be played on Friday, July 2nd at Allianz Arena (Munich)
In the 1/8 finals, Belgium played in an unusual passive manner. The team rarely put pressure and allowed Portugal to possess the ball for a long time. The passivity of Belgium became especially obvious in the second half when the score was 1-0 in its favor. Martinez's team possessed the ball only 35% of the time and struck two shots on goal against 15 for the Portuguese. This passivity limited Belgium's attack. Thorgan Hazard scored only through his own cool skills. In terms of the overall quality of the attacking game, Belgium was far from its level. Martinez's team delivered six shots on goal against 23 for the Portuguese. Moreover, the Red Devils did not deliver a single shot from outside the box. In terms of the overall danger of chances, the Belgians have deserved only 0.3 xG. For comparison, Portugal's figure was 1.5. The defense of Belgium was not perfect, and the match could well have ended not in favor of Martinez's team.
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It took the Italians 120 minutes in the 1/8 finals to defeat Austria (2-1). The match was difficult. Until the end of normal time, the Italians did not score (0-0). They delivered 18 shots on goal of the Austrians (10 of them from the penalty area) but did not create any clear chances to score. In terms of the overall danger of shots, the Italians had scored one expected goal in regulation time. In extra time, Austria took over possession. The team had control of the ball 61% of the time. Italy began to have problems with a reliable defense, so the game became wide-open. The Italians delivered nine shots on goal, and this figure for the Austrians was six. The openness influenced the production. Five minutes after the start of extra time, Italy scored two goals within ten minutes. The Austrians were able to win back one goal in the 114th minute of the match.
The match between Belgium and Italy is the least predictable in the quarterfinals. Both teams looked confident not only at the Euro but also at the previous tournaments. Belgium has not lost in 13 matches, and Italy has not suffered a single defeat in 31 games. Both teams finished the group stage of the current championship with the maximum number of points. Only the Netherlands showed the same result. However, in terms of the game, Italy looks a little preferable to Belgium. The Italians show great attacking football with a well-organized possession structure and variable creation. Usually, they achieve victories due to confident control of matches, but the game against Austria showed that the Italians could cope with the protracted attacks of the opponent as well. We think that the nominal visitors have more chances of advancing to the next stage.
Prediction for the match: Italy to advance to the semifinals
