Belgium vs Portugal UEFA Euro LIVE Football Score 27 June 2021

One of the standout ties in the last-16 stage of Euro 2020 will take place in Seville on Sunday evening, with Belgium, who have a 100% record at this summer’s competition, facing the holders Portugal.

Belgium breezed into the knockout round by winning all three of their Group B fixtures to top the section, while Portugal ultimately qualified from Group F in third behind France and Germany.

Belgium might have topped their section with three wins from three matches, but Roberto Martinez’s side have not exactly been handed an easy draw in the round of 16, with Portugal their opponents in Seville.

The Red Devils started their Group B challenge with a 3-0 success over Russia before recording a 2-1 victory over Denmark in their second match on June 17. A potentially tricky encounter with Finland was next on June 21, but an own goal from Lukas Hradecky allowed Belgium to take the lead in Russia before the in-form Romelu Lukaku made sure of the points.

Martinez’s side are now unbeaten in their last 12 matches and will certainly fancy their chances of challenging for the trophy, although the winner of this contest is likely to face a dangerous Italy side in the quarter-finals.

Belgium finished third at the 2018 World Cup but have not advanced past the quarter-finals of a European Championship since finishing as runners-up in 1980, meaning that their experience in the latter stages is limited despite now being considered as one of the finest sides in international football.

Portugal, as mentioned, ultimately qualified from Group F in third position, having picked up a 2-2 draw against France on Wednesday night. The section provided all sorts of twists and turns in the final gameweek, but a spirited Hungary ultimately finished fourth to exit the competition.

Fernando Santos’s side were impressive in their group opener against Hungary, recording a 3-0 victory on June 15, but they then suffered a 4-2 loss to Germany, which placed the holders in a tough spot ahead of their clash with France.

Two penalties from Cristiano Ronaldo saw Portugal claim a point against the world champions, which allowed them to advance as one of the best third-placed sides. Ronaldo, meanwhile, is now the joint-leading international goalscorer of all time with 109 alongside Ali Daei, which is just staggering.

A Selecao are, of course, the holders of the European Championship, having triumphed at Euro 2016; they also reached the semi-finals in 2000 and 2012, in addition to claiming the runners-up spot at Euro 2004, which is an indication of their credentials in this famous competition.

Portugal will have to do it the hard way if they are to make another final, with the likes of Italy, France and Spain all possible opponents in the latter stages, and it will be fascinating to see how they perform on Sunday night, as Belgium will certainly believe that they can harm the Iberian side

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• This is the first meeting between Belgium and Portugal at a major tournament.
• Portugal are unbeaten in their past five matches against Belgium across all competitions (W3 D2) since a 3-0 defeat in World Cup qualifying in September 1989.

Belgium

• Belgium have only failed to score in two of their last 58 games under Roberto Martinez.
• Despite playing just 134 minutes so far, Kevin de Bruyne has been involved in three of Belgium’s seven goals at Euro 2020, netting once and providing two assists.
• Belgium’s victory over Finland last time out marked their ninth win at a World Cup and European Championship combined under Roberto Martinez, with the Spaniard now holding the outright managerial record for major tournament wins with the Red Devils.

Portugal

• Portugal have conceded six goals in three games at Euro 2020 so far, already one more than they did at Euro 2016 when they went on to lift the trophy.
• Portugal have qualified for the knockout stages of the European Championship in third place for the second tournament in a row, also doing so in 2016 before going on to win it.
• Portugal’s return of four points from three group games is the poorest return for a defending champion at a European Championship since Greece in 2008.