Euro 2024 talking points: Predicting the final; scrap extra time?

Euro 2024 is down to the final four teams, but we can all enjoy another round of fixtures before the winner is crowned on July 14.

So far, the tournament in Germany has been full of surprises, but what has stood out from the quarterfinals as Portugal and Germany fell to leave France vs. Spain on one side of the bracket, with Switzerland and Turkey exiting to leave England vs. Netherlands on the other?

We asked ESPN FC's writers at the tournament what they have made of things so far now that we're heading into the semifinals next week.

What was your main takeaway from the quarterfinals?

Gab Marcotti: Overall, a reminder of what an outsize role luck and randomness -- rather than playing well -- have to do with a tournament like this. It makes little sense that France and (especially) England are still in it given how their games unfolded. But it's football -- it often does not make sense. Oh, and Spain play really nice football. Maybe you don't need a fancy, big-name coach after all. A competent one will suffice.

Rob Dawson: That Spain are the best team in the tournament. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll win it, because it's all about getting the job done rather than the quality of the performances, but they have been terrific. They deserve more credit for coming through that quarterfinal against Germany (winning 2-1 in extra time), particularly after conceding so late in normal time.

Sam Marsden: It's impossible to pick a champion (although we will have a go in a bit). Pre-tournament favourites France and England have ambled through the tournament and both look beatable -- even if neither have lost yet. Spain have been great but could easily have gone out against Germany before Mikel Merino's 119th-minute winner. France will pose a different challenge, and the winner of that tie will probably be the favourite in the final, but it's hard to rule out England or Netherlands. The Dutch have now scored nine goals at the tournament. Only Spain and Germany (both 11) have netted more.

Mark Ogden: We don't have an outstanding team at Euro 2024. Spain are probably the best remaining side, but they have their flaws and they only stand out because they are different in the sense that possession of the ball is still their way to win. The rest don't quite know what they are, or what they want to be, but they have individuals capable of winning any game. This tournament is wide open because no one team is clearly better than the rest.

James Olley: You don't have to play well to win. France and England ground out results with a level of performance way below their individual star quality. Spain were better against Germany but more attritional than many probably expected, picking up seven yellow cards in the process. And as if to underline the point, Germany looked so vibrant in the group stage but will watch the semifinals at home.

Julien Laurens: We got some very tense games, which is normal because we are in the money time of the tournament. It's more about character than anything else. No one wants to make a mistake, and the level between teams is very close. I have been disappointed, nevertheless, by the performances of forwards and top players in the quarterfinals. Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Álvaro Morata, Memphis Depay, Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala ... Teams relied on others to be their match winners, which is no bad thing.

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Will Cristiano Ronaldo be at the 2026 World Cup?

Marcotti: As a player? Maybe. Because he's polarizing, folks will pile on, judge him on this tournament, and say he shouldn't be there. And yes, he had a very poor tournament. But that was five games, coming after a good season, both at club and international level. Any player can go off the boil for five games, especially when he's playing too many minutes. Portugal would have been far better off using Cristiano Ronaldo more efficiently. It's a shame coach Roberto Martínez didn't realize that.

Laurens: No chance. Ronaldo should retire from international football now. After what we saw in Germany, he is not good enough anymore at this level. And even if he wants to continue, then Martínez has to take the decision of finishing his international career for him. Ronaldo is one of the greatest ever and had an amazing international career, but it is time to admit that it is over now.

Ogden: Yes he will. He shouldn't be, because he can't move like he used to and that won't improve with age, but if he wants to be there, he will be. The problem for Ronaldo is that he is now tarnishing his reputation. He is one of the best players the game has ever seen, but he is becoming a figure of ridicule, and that's a real shame.

Olley: Yes. It felt significant that Ronaldo made it clear this would be his last Euros, not his last tournament, and that leaves the door open to one last dance in the U.S. Ronaldo is obviously flawless in his professionalism and if anyone can impact a World Cup in his 40s -- even if it is off the bench -- it is surely him.

Dawson: Yes. The timeline would give him two more seasons in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr and then retire after the World Cup. With players like Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Rúben Dias still in their prime, Portugal could do well in the U.S., and there's no way Ronaldo will want to miss out.

Marsden: He probably will be, won't he? If he is, let it be by accepting, finally, at the age of 41 by then, that he cannot be on the pitch all the time. Only goalkeeper Diogo Costa (510 minutes) played more than his 486 minutes during the finals for Portugal. Martínez's side may have been better off without the Ronaldo road show in Germany -- zero goals from 23 shots, making this the first time he's failed to score at a major tournament -- and the same will be true in two years if his attitude and expectations do not change.

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Should players be banned for two yellow cards when you get to the knockout rounds?

Marcotti: So first of all, if a game is officiated well you're not going to have a zillion cards because good referees know how to keep discipline without waving them around. And that's when you likely have banned players. Wiping from the round of 16 is silly. I don't want to give guys a licence to collect two yellows in three games, especially given the damage tactical fouls do to the game. Maybe you could make it two yellows in your last four games? I guess the issue, as ever, is that not all yellows are created equal.

Marsden: Absolutely not. Two yellow cards in five games and you miss a semifinal? Excessive. Yes, there needs to be a deterrent to make players think twice about foul play and tactical fouls, but in these short tournaments it's important for the spectacle to give players the best chance to be on the pitch in the latter stages.

Dawson: It's a hard balance because you want to do everything you can to put players off committing tactical fouls which spoil a game, but wiping bookings after the round of 16 is fair enough. These tournaments don't come around very often and it's important to have the best players on the pitch and not watching from the stands.

Ogden: If it's yellows in back-to-back knockout games then yes. But start with a clean slate after the group stage. The key issue now is that officials are so inconsistent that a suspension is only one bad decision away, and that is unfair.

Olley: No. The accumulation of cards should be wiped after the round of 16. Obviously players still need to retain their discipline but the prospect of key players missing a career-defining occasion -- not to mention the damage it does to the overall spectacle -- does not benefit anyone.

Laurens: Definitely not. If you get two yellow cards in the three games of the group stage then you are banned for one game. But you start from scratch again in the knockout phase. And if you get two cautions again in your first two or three games then you get a one-match ban.