Belgium holds on to defeat Portugal and advance to quarter-finals

Belgium held Cristiano Ronaldo scoreless and defeated defending champion Portugal 1-0 Sunday to advance to the quarter-finals of the European Championship.

Thorgan Hazard scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute with a swerving shot from outside the area that left Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio wrong-footed and late to swat the ball away.

Belgium will next face Italy in the quarter-finals on Friday in Munich.

Ronaldo stayed one goal away from becoming the all-time men's top scorer in international soccer. He is tied with former Iran striker Ali Daei at 109 goals.

Belgium played most of the second half without Kevin De Bruyne, who had to be substituted after being tackled from behind.

Portugal had several good chances to equalize late in the match, including a header by Ruben Dias saved by Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and a shot by Raphael Guerreiro that hit the post.

While Portugal's run for a second consecutive European title ended, Belgium stayed on track to finally lift a major trophy for the first time. The Belgians lost in the European Championship final in 1980 and finished third three years ago at the World Cup for their best finish at that tournament.

The top-ranked Red Devils have won all four matches so far at Euro 2020 and won all 10 qualifiers for the tournament. The team is unbeaten in 13 consecutive matches in all competitions, since a loss to England last year in the Nations League.

Czech defeat Netherlands

Tomas Holes and Patrik Schick scored second-half goals to take the Czech Republic into the Euro 2020 quarter-finals as they took advantage of a red card for the Netherlands to upset their more fancied opponents and win 2-0 in Budapest on Sunday.

Holes powered home a 68th-minute opener after being set up by Tomas Kalas, as the Dutch watched on hopelessly in their own penalty area.

Schick made sure of the Czechs' surprise success with a close-range finish 10 minutes from fulltime, in front of a capacity crowd that provided a deafening wall of noise at the Puskas Arena for most of an absorbing last-16 contest.

It was a calamitous outcome for the Dutch, who imploded after Matthijs de Ligt was sent off for a cynical handball 10 minutes into the second half, and they will now face some serious soul searching.

De Ligt was sent off after a VAR review by Russian referee Sergei Karasev after punching away the ball as he tumbled to the ground in a tussle with Schick.

Before that pivotal moment, the Dutch had looked to get on top of their opponents with their overlapping runs and passing ability, but a moment of madness from their 21-year-old centre back swung the balance of the contest toward the Czechs, who needed no second invitation to grab the initiative.

The Czechs are now through to face a quarter-final clash with Denmark in Baku on Saturday, turning around their Euro 2020 fortunes having only reached the knockout phase after finishing third in their group.

The Dutch could have gone ahead before being reduced to 10 men, with fullbacks Denzel Dumfries and Patrick van Aanholt creating several chances with their overlapping runs.

Yet striker Memphis Depay looked out of sorts and Donyell Malen hesitated with several opportunities — no more so than when sprinting through the Czech defence to go one on one with Tomas Vaclik, just after the break, before having the ball snatched away from his feet as he tried to round the keeper.

There was an opportunity for the Czechs when stand-in captain Tomas Soucek glanced a difficult header wide in the 22nd minute and Antonin Barak blasted past the target from a tight angle 16 minutes later.

Once De Ligt was dismissed, the Czechs assumed control and the goal came as the Dutch defence was caught static by a set piece that saw Kalas climb above the defence to head back for Holes to score, with veteran Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg caught in no man's land.

The Dutch then sought to throw on some attacking artillery but quickly wilted in the searing heat as Schick made it 2-0 with Holes pulling the ball back for the striker to net his fourth goal of the tournament.

Spain coach says police should look into Morata threats

Spain coach Luis Enrique wants police to look into the death threats directed at striker Alvaro Morata and make a "robust response."

Morata said he received the threats on social media after missing several chances during the group stage, including a penalty against Slovakia on Wednesday. The striker, who has scored one goal so far at Euro 2020, said some of the threats were even directed toward his sons.

"I think it's a police matter really," Luis Enrique said Sunday ahead of Spain's game against Croatia in the round of 16. "Because when it comes to death threats, particularly in regard to family and kids, that's a serious offence. I think it's a matter for the authorities, so that it can be met with a robust response."

Sweden striker Marcus Berg was also subjected to social media abuse and threats against himself and his children after missing a scoring chance against Spain in a 0-0 draw between the teams. The Swedish soccer federation has reported those threats to police.