France, Germany and Belgium sealed their places in the quarterfinals of the European Championship on Sunday as three of the pre-tournament favorites lived up to their promise.
There was a scare for the host nation after Ireland scored a second minute penalty, but Antoine Griezmann struck twice after the break to give France a deserved 2-1 victory in Lyon.
While France was made to work hard to advance, Germany had no such difficulties in a polished 3-0 victory over Slovakia, while Eden Hazard inspired Belgium to what ended up as a crushing 4-0 win over Hungary.
The goals and the quality of the football over the three games were a marked improvement on the dire performances witnessed on Saturday when Poland, Wales and Portugal advanced.