TOP HEADLINES:

· Local authorities have increased the number of fans allowed in to watch France vs Switzerland on Monday. Around 25,000 will be permitted inside the National Arena in the Romanian capital, half the official stadium capacity as COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed for people who have been vaccinated.

· Russian organizers say the quarter final scheduled to take place in St Petersburg, Russia, will go ahead as planned, despite the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

· There were tears in the dressing room after the current European champions Portugal, were knocked out by Belgium. It may have been the last appearance at the European championships for Cristiano Ronaldo.

· Ronaldo first appeared in the 2004 finals, helping Portugal to the final as an 18-year-old. He has scored 109 goals for his country, which is the joint highest by any player in international football history. A few free kicks were the closest he came to adding to the total.

· Belgium, the world's top-ranked team, which knocked out Portugal, can make history of their own if they can beat Italy in their quarter-final on Friday – that would make it a best ever winning run in the European Championship (including qualifying), of 15 matches.

· The German newspaper Bild has described it as a "scandal" that the German squad is not able to train at Wembley on Monday ahead of Tuesday's clash with England, because of fears of damage to the surface after heavy rainfall in London.

· A similar decision was taken ahead of the Italy vs Austria match on Saturday. The German players trained instead at their base near Nuremberg before flying to London later on Monday.

· Croatia's Ivan Perisic has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the knockout match against Spain in Copenhagen on Monday

THE ANIMAL PREDICTION:

MONDAY'S FIXTURES:

Croatia vs Spain at 4 p.m. GMT in Copenhagen

France vs Switzerland at 7 p.m. GMT in Bucharest

SUNDAY'S RESULTS:

Belgium 1 - 0 Portugal

This was arguably the most eagerly awaited clash of the last 16, with Belgium, the top ranked team in the world, taking on the current European champions, Portugal, which have added a wealth of attacking talent alongside Ronaldo since that 2016 triumph.

It was Belgium that dominated the match, with the winning goal coming from Thorgan Hazard's sweetly struck shot from outside the penalty box, just before half-time.

That prompted a bit more ambition from Portugal, especially as the match entered its final stages. But it was too little too late and prompted questions about the the team's cautious approach to the match – it was a style that helped them win the tournament in 2016, but with $400m worth of attacking talent this time many had hoped for a most positive gameplan. 

Portugal coach Fernando Santos said he thought it was "an unfair result ... their goal was a shot from nothing, from outside the box. We can't control everything."

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez paid tribute to his experienced defenders who kept another clean sheet: "Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen, they are the masters ... the talent they have makes defending an art."

Netherlands 0 - 2 Czechia

The Dutch team had been growing in confidence and were favorites for this clash, but the match pretty much hung on a red card, shown to Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt early in the second half, for handball.

That came shortly after Donyell Malen failed to score when he ran clear in a one vs one with the Czech keeper.

It meant that, despite being roared on by a large contingent of orange-clad supporters in Budapest, the Dutch would soon be heading out.

Manager Frank de Boer said: "It wasn't good enough, the players did not reach their usual level.

"Tactically we weren't that bad today, but suddenly one player skips away toward goal and the world turns upside down, everything changed after the red card."

The Czech team grew into the match, with the breakthrough finally coming courtesy of a header from Tomas Holes on 68 minutes.

They sealed the win with 10 minutes left when Holes set up Patrik Schick for his fourth goal of the tournament. Czechia will play Denmark in Baku in the quarter final on Saturday.