Everyone expected the Netherlands to get the W against Romania and they did not disappoint. Cody Gakpo, I mean, the real Gakpo, not that sham currently at Liverpool, has been a live wire in this tournament, much like how he was in the FIFA World Cup, being the focal point of everything good in the Dutch attack.

He opened the scoring with a well-taken goal after evading his marker, but Nita in the Romanian goal would feel that he shouldn’t have been beaten at his near post. Holland had another goal in the back of the net, but it was ruled out by the VAR chums. Romania didn’t muster anything meaningful and were two behind when Gakpo waltzed his way through Radu Dragusin on the touchline, before feeding the ball on a platter for Donyell Malen. Malen put the icing on the cake late on to add a third goal, putting the game beyond doubt.

Fans of the Netherlands and neutrals alike watched with a keen eye as Turkiye took on Austria. These are two of the most exciting teams in the tournament, as they provided exciting football and breathtaking goals in theit respective games. Arda Guler’s strike against Georgia is certainly a contender for Goal of the tournament, and we hoped for more firecrackers last night.

Turkiye started like a house on fire when a goal mouth scramble saw Merih Demiral blast the ball to the roof of the net after just 58 seconds. Austria continued to press for the equalizer, but they felt a dagger to the heart when Demiral rose the highest to smash in a bullet header to the goal, sending Turkiye fans into raptures. It’s also worth noting that despite scoring two goals for his nation, Demiral made 17 clearances and four blocks, a testament of his commitment to keeping things tidy at the back for his nation. His defensive partner, Abdulkarim Baldakci, put up a monstrous performance and cramped a lot, as his thighs were heavily taped.

Austria got the goal their play deserved when Marcel Sabitzer’s corner was flicked to the danger area and was prodded in by top Scorer in qualifying, Michael Gregoritsch.

This set the tone for a grand finale as Austria pressed with barrage of attacks, while Turkiye defended like it was their lives on the line. With literally the last attack of the game, Christoph Baumgartner thought he had done enough to send the game to extra time, after he headed the ball from a sumptuous cross goal bound, but Mert Gunok pulled out the save of the tournament so far, earning him the deserved adulation of his teammates.

This hard earned victory for Turkiye sets the tone for a show down with the Netherlands which will be must see television.

There’s a little break before the quarterfinals commence on Friday, so I can focus on some Arsenal stuff, starting with my thoughts on the links with Riccardo Calafiori. Well, that’s for tomorrow.

Sayonara.