Euro 2016 Bracket: Title Odds, Schedule After Thursday's Quarter-Finals Result
Portugal became the first team through to the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 on Thursday, as they beat Poland 5-3 on penalties at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France.
The victory sets up a tie with the winner of Belgium's quarter-final with Wales, which will take place on Friday.
Despite going through to the final four, the bookmakers aren't overly confident Poland can succeed with 5-1 odds—France, Germany and Belgium are still deemed more likely winners.
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Here are the latest schedule and title odds following Thursday's match, per Oddschecker:
| Friday, July 1 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | QF 2 | Wales vs. Belgium |
| Saturday, July 2 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | QF 3 | Germany vs. Italy |
| Sunday, July 3 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | QF 4 | France vs. Iceland |
| Wednesday, July 6 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | SF 1 | Portugal vs. QF 2 |
| Thursday, July 7 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | SF 2 | QF 3 vs. QF 4 |
| Sunday, July 10 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | Final | SF 1 vs. SF 2 |
| France | 11-4 |
| Germany | 3-1 |
| Belgium | 9-2 |
| Portugal | 5-1 |
| Italy | 13-2 |
| Wales | 25-1 |
| Iceland | 40-1 |
The full bracket can be found at BBC Sport.
Portugal Fail To Impress as They Scrape Past Poland
It's hardly surprising Portugal have yet to truly win over the bookmakers—as WhoScored.com revealed, their route to the final has been simultaneously remarkable and deeply uninspiring:
Cristiano Ronaldo's struggles continue unabated, as he uncharacteristically wasted every opportunity that came his way against Poland.
As OptaJohan illustrated, the Real Madrid forward has been profligate at Euro 2016 thus far:
Without Ronaldo scoring the goals, there's little in the way of attacking quality in Portugal's squad, which explains their failure to win any games in regulation time.
Their one saving grace has been 18-year-old Renato Sanches, who has enjoyed a phenomenal debut tournament for his country.
Portuguese football writer Jan Hagen and footballer Joey Barton are among his many admirers:
Indeed, his dynamism in the centre made things happen for the Selecao on Thursday, and they'll rely on him once again to give them a spark in the semi-final.
Unless Ronaldo is able to start scoring again, though, there's little chance of them winning the title.
Italy Showed Title Credentials in Win Over Spain
Though Germany may be among the favourites to win the tournament and looked strong in their match with Slovakia in the round of 16, Italy established themselves as a force to be reckoned with when they beat Spain 2-0 on Monday.
While this incarnation of the Azzurri lacks the class of an Andrea Pirlo or Alessandro Del Piero in midfield or up front, Italy more than make up for it with organisation and resilience at the back.
The Italians have conceded just once at Euro 2016 while fielding a much-changed side against the Republic of Ireland in the group stage. As Squawka Football revealed, they boast an impressive record under Antonio Conte:
Furthermore, they own an intimidating record against their upcoming opponents in major tournaments, per the Sport Bible:
A strong defence is always an excellent foundation for success, and Italy are more than capable of grinding out three more wins to lift the trophy.
Saturday's match will be a difficult one, though, and Germany boss Joachim Low does not believe their past failure to beat Italy will count for anything on the night, per Bleacher Report UK:
Nevertheless, Die Mannschaft struggled against resolute defences earlier in the competition, failing to score against Poland and netting just once past Northern Ireland.
Unless Germany are at their best, Italy will take another step toward European glory.
