TOP HEADLINES

• Italy's rapture over beating Belgium 2-1 to reach the Euro 2020 semi-finals has been soured by losing their left-back Leonardo Spinazzola to a serious injury. Described by Italy manager Roberto Mancini as "one of the best players of this tournament," the AS Roma defender was taken off on a stretcher in the second half following a suspected ruptured Achilles tendon. Teammate Lorenzo Insigne, who scored Friday night's winning goal, said: "We'll try to do everything we can to make it to the final for him."

• Despite losing in their quarter-final bout against the Italians, Belgium coach Roberto Martinez praised his players' efforts, saying that while his side didn't create enough chances until the second half, they did "everything they could" to get so far in the competition: "The feelings are sadness and disappointment because I don't feel like these players need to be out of this tournament." 

• Goalkeeper Unai Simon has achieved hero-status in Spain after his team pushed through to beat a 10-man Switzerland 3-1 on penalties. The Swiss, one man down, limped on against a ferocious Spain for 43 minutes, but the keeper's two saves in the shoot out secured the favorite's a place in the semis. "Football was just there. We are deserved winners," said an elated Simon. 

• After Russia's second city St. Petersburg hosted the Spain-Switzerland game, there continue to be serious concerns over the event's impact on the spread of coronavirus. Russia has recorded a new record for daily deaths five days in a row, and hundreds of cases have been detected among spectators attending Euro 2020 games across the continent.

• In spite of concerns raised by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, UK leader Boris Johnson said he had no plans to reduce crowd sizes at upcoming Euro 2020 soccer matches in the UK. Crowd capacity at London's Wembley arena is set to be increased to more than 60,000 fans for the semi-finals and final of Euro 2020 under a pilot scheme announced last week.

• In other injury news, Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne says that during Belgium's quarter-final defeat against Italy, he was playing with a tear in his ankle ligaments. De Bruyne picked up the injury during Belgium's match against Portugal, but said he still wanted to play: "I felt responsibility to play for my country today. Too bad I couldn't do more," he added in comments on UEFA.com.

SATURDAY'S FIXTURES

Czechia vs Denmark, Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku: 4 p.m. GMT 

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand has said his team will play "with the heart of Christian Eriksen" as they take on Czechia for a spot in the Euro 2020 semi-finals.

Playing exactly three weeks after Eriksen's cardiac arrest - he has since been discharged from hospital after having a defibrillator implanted to regulate his heart rate - Hjulmand's team have rallied hard to reach the last eight: they scored four goals in their successive matches against Russia and Wales.

This is the third time Denmark have met Czechia in a European Championship, with the Czechs coming out on top in the last two games. The two teams are also know for their draws in international competitions. But with the latter's captain Vladimir Darida set to return from injury after he missed the 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the last 16, the game is most definitely on. 

England vs Ukraine, Stadio Olimpico, Rome: 7 p.m. GMT

England, one of the teams tipped to take home this year's cup, will be on their guard against surprise Euro 2020 quarter-finalists Ukraine this evening. Despite beating their old rivals Germany for the first time since the 1966 World Cup final, England coach Gareth Southgate remains cautious, saying that win will mean little if they freeze against Ukraine.

"Right from the final whistle the other day, the players were already talking about the next game and preparing for it," said Southgate. But now the team is playing abroad and without a full English fanbase. 

Coronavirus has limited the capacity of Rome's Stadio Olimpico and Italian health regulations mean fans travelling from Britain have to quarantine for five days before attending the match. But Ukrainian supporters are also expected to be thin on the ground, and the odds are against them.

"We will do our best, try to surprise them. But we know that to get past them we will have to play the best game of our lives," said Ukraine midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko.

SEMI-FINALS

Italy vs Spain, Wembley Stadium, Tuesday 6 July, 7 p.m. GMT

England or Ukraine vs Czechia or Denmark, Wembley Stadium, Wednesday 7 July, 7 p.m. GMT