I think a lot of people will agree when I say that Euro 2022 seems to be flying by, it doesn't seem like 2 minutes ago we were at Old Trafford watching England in the opening game and now we are into the final week of the competition. This tournament has definitely one of my favourites in recent years to watch as nothing has been clear going into games, who would have thought England would beat Norway 8-0, I know I never expected it. There has been some shocks and some expected results but every minute has been great to watch and the quarter finals of the tournament are certainly no different. The knockout stages are always one of my favourites and this tournament has been a bit of a roller-coaster for me whilst watching as the results could honestly have gone either way with no clear cut winners until very late on in the game for 3 out of the 4 games. Here is a quick round up with our thoughts on each of the quarter finals...

England vs Spain

The first quarter final and a chance for the hosts England to progress into the semi finals and lets just say they didn't give us fans an easy ride. Spain looked good in the first half and it was Spain who broke the deadlock, it really looked like England were going to be crashing out of the competition until 6 minutes from the end of normal time when Ella Toone put the hosts level. The substitutes for England definitely made an impact on the game and it rolled over into extra time. Stanway stepped up and scored an absolutely fantastic goal in the 96th minute to put the hosts through to the semi final. This game was definitely one of those that had you on the edge of your seats as it was a bit touch and go for England at times. Spain certainly had a great tournament and they put up a fight against England but they just couldn't see out the lead they held out for the majority of the second half. England definitely look a strong side and I am looking forward to going to watch the semi final live.

Germany vs Austria

Unfortunately I was out for this game so didn't get the chance to watch it but after chatting in a few group chats and watching some highlights it seems like Austria put up a fight and had plenty of chances before falling to a 2-0 defeat by Germany. I think Germany are one of the quieter teams this tournament as there aren't many people chatting about their chances of winning but they are putting in some great performances and their opposition is going to be in for a tough game in the semi final. As for Austria I think they have really put their name out there this time around as a country not to be taken lightly in the game, they certainly challenged England in the opener and did really well to get to the quarter final stage, some of the Austrian players have surely put their names out there for the transfer market.

Sweden vs Belgium

We were lucky enough to get tickets to the Sweden vs Belgium game in Leigh and it was a great experience. We joined in the Swedish fan walk and it was a great experience with a great atmosphere. As for the game though I think people will agree Sweden didn't play at their best and there were times where it looked like they could end up out of the competition. Belgium certainly put up a fight and goalkeeper Evrard had a brilliant game to keep Belgium in the game, it actually looked like we were going to be heading to extra time in this game but Sweden broke the deadlock in the 92nd minute to progress to face England in the semi final. Belgium have really surprised me this time around and if they continue to improve at the rate we are seeing I think in the next few tournaments they could provide some upsets. As for Sweden they definitely didn't look the best in this game and honestly I think they got lucky with the result. 

Netherlands vs France

We also managed to go to the Netherlands vs France game in Rotherham and it is safe to say the experience at that game is the best experience we have had so far. We joined the Netherlands fan walk to the stadium after being in the fan zone and it was a fantastic build up to the game. Once in side the stadium the atmosphere continued to be great with both sets of fans getting behind their team. France certainly looked the strongest on the day and had plenty of chances to take the lead but they just couldn't get the ball over the line, there were some great off the line clearances from the Netherlands and goalkeeper Van Domselaar made some absolutely brilliant saves to keep the Netherlands in the game. Van Domselaar has had a fantastic competition and to say she went in as second choice 'keeper she has really made a name for herself. Some how the Netherlands managed to keep France out for the full 90 minutes and the game went to extra time. The extra time was another chance for France to really push for that goal and it all paid off in the 102nd minute when VAR awarded them a penalty and Chelsea's Perisset scored. Both teams continued to push for a goal after the penalty but in the end the reigning champions have crashed out of the tournament and France have progressed to face Germany in the semi final. 

So there you go that is a round up of the quarter finals, check back tomorrow as we will be doing our semi final predictions. So far the competition is great and the quarter finals certainly didn't disappoint us fans, I think we could definitely be in for a treat in the semi finals. With the quality of the players on offer in these later stages of the tournament anything could happen. 

What did you think to the quarter finals? Is there anyone specific who stood out to you?