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The 2024 European Championship has reached its quarterfinal stage with eight top teams including Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, England, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Turkey advancing to the next round. Apart from the France-Belgium, and Portugal-Slovenia clashes, at least two goals were scored in the other games in the Round of 16 with Spain scoring four past Georgia and the Netherlands 3-0 win against Romania.
A total of 16 players scored goals in the Round of 16 as Merih Demiral of Turkey and Netherlands forward Donyell Malen scored two goals each. Here is a look at our Best XI from the UEFA Euro 2024 Round of 16 stage:
Defenders
GK: Diogo Costa (Portugal)
After forcing the game into penalties with a sensational one-on-one save to deny Benjamin Šeško in the extra time, goalkeeper Diogo Costa created history by becoming the first goalkeeper in European championship history to keep a clean sheet across the 120 minutes and penalty shootouts. In the penalties, Costa made three saves to ensure Portugal's qualification to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
RB: Joao Cancelo (Portugal)
The Barcelona full-back has been a perfect example of the modern attacking defensive player. With his tireless masterclass, Cancelo earned a spot in our Euro 2024 Round of 16's Playing XI as a right back. During Portugal's clash against Slovenia, the 30-year-old Portuguese helped his side return to the attack from the back of the play.
CB: Nico Schlotterbeck (Germany)
After Germany centre-back Jonathan Tah was suspended, Nico Schlotterbeck was included as his replacement and helped his side keep a clean sheet against Denmark. Apart from his defensive prowess, the Borussia Dortmund defender also scored a goal which was later ruled out due to a foul in the build-up.
CB: Merih Demiral (Turkey)
Turkey defender Merih Demiral was sensational in his side's narrow 2-1 victory against Austria in Leipzig. The defender scored the first-minute goal followed by his second in the 59th minute. Both his goals came from the set piece while he also made a last-gasp intervention to help Turkey reach the quarter-finals.
LB: Marc Cucurella (Spain)
Marc Cucurella continued his fine form in the 2024 Euros as he played an important role in Spain's dominant 4-2 win over Georgia in the Round of 16 clash. The Spanish defender completed 109 touches with a 95% pass accuracy in his 66 minutes of game time.
