And then there were eight. Twenty-four of the 31 games are gone and the cream of Europe has risen to the top. The dregs, meanwhile, including two of the world's alleged football superpowers in England and Germany, have sunk to the bottom and slunk home.

There can be few complaints about the make-up of Euro 2000's quarter-finals, just as there can be few about the general excellence of the football. Of the eight who have departed, only the Czech Republic deserved not to. Belgium blustered, Norway stonewalled, but the Czechs played some of the best football in the tournament. With people already beginning to nominate their team-of-the-tournament so far, Pavel Nedved surely warrants a mention.

The Czechs also came closest to staging the competition's greatest upset when they outplayed Holland in the second half at the Amsterdam Arena, only then to lose to a dubious, last-minute penalty.

Norway beating Spain thanks to a dodgy Spanish goalkeeper became the biggest shock, although there was consternation in Charleroi when Slovenia were three ahead and one man up against the country they used to be part of, Yugoslavia.

Bemusement increased further when in the half hour remaining Yugoslavia came back to 3-3, with the one-time Aston Villa misfit Savo Milosevic scoring two of them. Big Savo has scored two more since, is the tournament's top scorer and in line for the Golden Boot.

Those seeking to place a bet on Milosevic winning that before Euro 2000 would have found him at odds of 100 to 1 and above. His colleague Darko Kovacevic was half that. So was Emile Heskey.

In the English midlands there has been a fair amount of Stan Laurel-style headscratching at this Milosevic development. When Milosevic left Villa for Real Zaragoza it was with some relief, but clearly he has matured in Spain.

Tonight Milosevic will jump against Holland and Jaap Stam, and while there was not a sense of overriding confidence at the Yugoslav camp outside Antwerp yesterday about their Yugoslavian chances, the great Dragan Stojkovic, now 35 and playing club football in Japan, said Milosevic would be a key guest for the co-hosts to handle.

Milosevic's opposite number, Dennis Bergkamp, has annoyed the Yugoslavs with an alleged comment that Yugoslavia could have a five-goal start, although their distinguished 69-year-old coach, Vujadin Boskov, laughed that off. "We'll give them six," he said. Boskov, a former manager of Real Madrid and Sampdoria, was more serious when he addressed the broader aspects of Euro 2000.

"There is better quality football here than in the World Cup," he said. "England gave the game to us and now there is no better continent than Europe. The teams are of a similar standard. "I'm a little surprised that England and Germany are out and that Turkey and Portugal are so strong. They are playing football of great quality.

"Both countries are disadvantaged economically, and that matters to their spirit. Take Romania, for example: they have proved many times the strength of their collective will."

Italy will feel the force of it tonight in Brussels, Gheorghe Hagi and all. Suddenly every shrewdie in Europe fancies Italy, but Romania have class. They will not be overawed. Instead of Holland-Italy, it could be Yugoslavia-Romania.

For the emerging Portugal and Turkey is a meeting in Amsterdam this evening. The two have threatened to be new European powers for four years now, and with the winners promised a semi-final with France or Spain, either the Portuguese or Turks will be beginning to justify those predictions. The Portuguese appear to be further down the road than Turkey.

A semi-final between Portugal and France would have the neutral salivating. It is far from a certainty, however.

First, the tiny ground in Bruges stages what could be another contender for the game of the tournament between France and Spain tomorrow night. France, in showing more cohesion than in 1998, look awesome. Spain, in improving steadily, look capable of scoring at will. But it is not difficult to see Thierry Henry slicing through the tender Spanish defence.

That would not be a shock, but with three of the quarters featuring established nations against unfulfilled ones, there could be an upset somewhere. Holland should overcome Yugoslavia, France should beat Spain, but will Italy beat Romania? And what about Big Savo?