With Belgium and Portugal meeting in the last 16 at Euro 2020 on Sunday, the tournament will lose a genuine powerhouse far earlier than expected.
Both Belgium and Portugal were among the bookmakers’ favorites to win this summer’s European Championship, but one of them will be heading home this weekend.
Along with Italy and the Netherlands, Belgium are one of only three teams that still boast a 100% record at Euro 2020.
Roberto Martinez’s men claimed three straight victories during the group stage – seeing off Russia (3-0), Denmark (2-1) and Finland (2-0) to finish six points clear at the top of Group B.
Not only have the Red Devils netted seven goals at the tournament so far, but they have also conceded just once.
Unsurprisingly, Romelu Lukaku has been at the heart of the action. The Inter Milan striker has bagged three goals at Euro 2020 and is firmly in the hunt for the Golden Boot.
Belgium’s Group B clean sweep means they head into the round of 16 on a 12-match unbeaten streak in all competitions (ten wins, two draws).
It is also worth pointing out that Martinez’s side have only lost one of their previous 26 games in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Portugal ended up qualifying for the knockout phase as one of the highest-ranked third-place teams.
The Euro 2016 winners finished level with second-place Germany on four points in Group F – one poiny behind France.
Portugal kicked off their campaign with an easy 3-0 win over Hungary before suffering a 4-2 thrashing at the hands of Germany.
Last time out, they drew 2-2 with France, with Cristiano Ronaldo netting both of his country’s goals from the penalty spot.
Ronaldo currently sits two goals clear at the top of the Golden Boot leaderboard, having bagged five goals and one assist in three appearances.
Head-to-head: The historic head-to-head record between Belgium and Portugal is relatively even. Along with seven draws, Portugal have claimed six wins, while Belgium have won five.
The two nations have faced each other twice since 2016, with Portugal remaining unbeaten in that time (one win, one draw).
Team news: Timothy Castagne has withdrawn from the Belgium squad due to a facial injury, while Thorgan Hazard is a doubt for Sunday’s clash.
As for Portugal, Fernando Santos is expected to recall Bruno Fernandes to his starting XI after the Manchester United star started on the bench last time out.
With an abundance of attacking talent on both sides, we are likely to see plenty of goals in Seville on Sunday.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Belgium and Portugal will produce a high-scoring draw, with over 5.5 match goals a real possibility.