And then there were eight.

It doesn't matter if, like Germany or France, you expected to reach the Euro quarterfinals. Or if, like Portugal, with zero wins in 90 minutes, you're not quite sure how you got here except sheer bloody-mindedness. Or if, like Belgium, you lost your footing early and then recovered. Or if, like Iceland, Hollywood scriptwriters are knocking on your door wanting to chronicle the greatest upset since ... well, since Leicester City won the Premier League this season.

Three games separate these eight teams from being crowned champions of Europe. Here's how the matchups break down.

Wales v Belgium, Friday 7pm, Lille

That's fine, though, because their individual parts already add up to quite a bit. They can beat you many different ways and have a shutdown goalkeeper in Thibaut Courtois. That said, Belgium can suffer against tactically sophisticated sides and the quality, versatility and unpredictability of Bale can create serious problems. Equally, Wales play a back three and Belgium boss Marc Wilmots really struggled to wrap his head around Italy's three-man defence.

Belgium are favorites simply because they have, top to bottom, better players and the Kevin De Bruyne-Eden Hazard combination seems to be hitting form. But the Bale factor, both in what he can do personally and what he can make his teammates do, is not to be underestimated.

Germany v Italy, Saturday 7pm, Bordeaux

Germany have been getting stronger as the tournament progresses, which is bad news for everybody else. Manager Joachim Low has an array of options in his front six and he has shown he's not afraid to tweak when required. Meanwhile, keeper Manuel Neuer and his defence have yet to concede a goal.

Italy are all about system over individuals, mainly because, as coach Antonio Conte himself said, "we don't have great individual players [in midfield and attack]." That system was devastating against Belgium and Spain, but Low, simply put, is a far tougher tactical nut to crack. Italy create plenty, but that's also because they need multiple chances to score.

That said, Gigi Buffon also has yet to concede in goal (and he has faced tougher strikers than Neuer has). Plus, if you're superstitious, Germany have never actually beaten Italy in a competitive match. Though, as they'll tell you -- very rationally -- records exist to be broken.

France v Iceland, Sunday 7pm, Saint-Denis

Polar opposites here. The uber-talented host nation against the guys many expected to be nothing more than the answer to a trivia question. Iceland's performances have been otherworldly thus far. If you don't believe they're channeling some kind mystic Viking spirit, you'd have to assume that all that running and exertion will catch up with them sooner rather than later. (Then again, that may be what England thought as well and we saw how that turned out.)

Les Bleus will be without the suspended Adil Rami, which might not seem like a huge loss until you realize Eliaquim Mangala could be the man to replace him. Defence is not the French strong suit, though it has arguably performed better than their attack, where Olivier Giroud has fired too many blanks, and midfield, where Didier Deschamps' incessant tinkering is doing him no favors.

Could the host nation stumble against Iceland? Probably not. There are too many weapons in the French arsenal, from Dimitri Payet to Antoine Griezmann to Paul Pogba, and, as they showed against Ireland, they're resilient too.

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