Czech Republic were leading Group E when they stepped on the pitch against Bulgaria Thursday afternoon.
Both teams failed to take their chances in a dull first half. With the final whistle approaching the game got physical with several Bulgarian yellow cards. A last-minute goal from Tomas Kounovsky secured the 1:0 victory and three points for the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic’s match against Poland will open the last-16 round of the EURO, at 10 a.m. on Friday.
Montenegro faced Kazakhstan in the next top-of-the-group clash of Day 5. Kazakhstan dominated the first minutes of the game. So it came as no surprise when Kazakhstan took the lead in the 13th minute, and the lead doubled when Nemanja Klijajevic was forced to put into his own net.
Montenegro gave themselves hope when Aleksandar Simic struck the ball home in the 30th minute. But Kazakhstan extended the lead again to 3:1 four minutes later. With the 3:1 victory Kazakhstan came out on top of Group G and will face the hosts, Hungary on Friday.
At the next game Spain needed a win against Romania to advance from Group D. Both sides started in an aggressive manner, but failed to convert their scoring chances into goals.
Several clear-cut Spanish chances during the first minutes of the second half guaranteed a frantic atmosphere at the Spanish bench. The Romanian counters were becoming less and less frequent as the end was approaching.
It was still the Romanian team that took the lead in 34th minute. However, a last minute goal from Gabriel Ruiz Vicente, making it 1:1, sent Spain into the knockout stage.
Next up were Portugal against Wales. Portugal were on top with a two-goal lead in the 15th minute, but Wales pulled one back at the stroke of half time. With the scoreline standing at 3:1 in the 28th minute, Portugal needed one more goal to advance as the runner up of Group E.
Although with the score staying 3:1, Wales will face Slovenia on Friday.