UEFA Euro 2016 knockout stage
UEFA Euro 2016 final stage
The knockout stage of UEFA Euro 2016 began on 25 June 2016 and ended on 10 July 2016 with the final in Saint-Denis, France, near Paris.
All times listed are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
Format
In the knockout stage, extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winners if necessary. As with every tournament since UEFA Euro 1984, there was no third place play-off.
UEFA set out the following schedule for the round of 16:
Match 1: Runners-up Group A vs Runners-up Group C
Match 2: Winners Group D vs 3rd Place Group B/E/F
Match 3: Winners Group B vs 3rd Place Group A/C/D
Match 4: Winners Group F vs Runners-up Group E
Match 5: Winners Group C vs 3rd Place Group A/B/F
Match 6: Winners Group E vs Runners-up Group D
Match 7: Winners Group A vs 3rd Place Group C/D/E
Match 8: Runners-up Group B vs Runners-up Group F
Combinations of matches in the Round of 16
The specific match-ups involving the third-placed teams depended on which four third-placed teams from 15 possible combinations qualified for the round of 16:
Qualified teams
The top two placed teams from each of the six groups qualified for the knockout stage, along with the four best third-placed teams.
Bracket
Round of 16
Switzerland vs Poland
Wales vs Northern Ireland
Croatia vs Portugal
France vs Republic of Ireland
Germany vs Slovakia
Hungary vs Belgium
Italy vs Spain
England vs Iceland
The match has been described as one of England's worst defeats ever, and one of the biggest upsets in European football history.
Former footballer and Talksport presenter Stan Collymore, who was commentating on the game, panned the England team, reserving special criticism for goalkeeper Joe Hart and captain Wayne Rooney. Former England international and BBC Sport pundit Alan Shearer described it as the worst performance he had ever seen from an England team. The defeat was called England's most shocking since losing 1–0 to the United States in the 1950 World Cup.
The English team was viciously mocked by the press who described it as a "second exit from Europe", referencing the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union just four days earlier. The English media called the result a national embarrassment, criticising the team's fitness and calling the fans unsportsmanlike.
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