Germany faced Slovakia in the next game of the day, as the Round of 16 continued.
It was Slovakia that made their early first half pressure pay, as they scored twice in quick succession to go two in front by the 4th minute. But Germany managed to level it up before the end of the opening half.
Both teams failed to convert their chances at the beginning of the second period, with 10 minutes remaining the score was still sitting at 2:2. The dying minutes of the second half saw a goal scored by both sides, making it 3:3. The match headed into the tournament’s first penalty shootout.
Kim Sippel’s brilliant saves guaranteed Germany went through to the quarter-finals. “I promised the coach I would take two [penalties] out of three, and I did it” said a very happy goalkeeper Kim.
Russia were playing against Montenegro after the shootout. Aleksandar Mikijelj put Montenegro ahead in the 5th minute, but Russia equalised within a minute. The teams left for the break with Montenegro enjoying a narrow lead after their 19th-minute goal.
Russia drew level for a second time 3 minutes into the second period, and the 2:2 tie stayed until the end. The day’s second penalty shootout saw Montenegro beat Russia to advance to the quarter-finals.
At the next game the hosts faced Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan showed just how incredibly determined they are to beat Hungary when Kanat Zhumabekov opened the scoring with a header in the 5th minute. Hungary pressed for a leveller and in the 19th minute it was Zsolt Szabó’s ball that found the lower corner of the net.
Despite Hungary’s best efforts, the Kazakhstan team proved too strong for the hosts. Four unanswered goals in the second half by Kazakhstan sealed their 5:1 win. They will face Germany in the quarter-finals at 9 p.m. this evening.
The last game of the last-16 was between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Spain. A scoreless opening half left the door open for both teams to become the opponent of Montenegro.
The match continued with an evenly contested second half where both sides struggled to forge opportunities. After 40 goalless minutes the match headed into penalty shootout. Bosnia & Herzegovina won the shootout against Spain, just like they did last year.