Worth setting the alarm clock to savour the twists and turns of a captivating Euro 2020

IT'S been nearly three weeks since I've had a proper night's sleep. It's hard to even think about getting any decent shut-eye these days, not when the Euro 2020 football championships are in full swing and producing some of the most scintillating and action-packed matches in recent memory.

The time difference between Asia and Europe almost always means that fans here have to be prepared to stay up until the wee hours of the morning to watch the matches.

The best games so far have been those that have kicked off at midnight or later (Singapore time), including Portugal's rollercoaster 2-2 draw with France, Germany's barnstorming 4-2 win over Portugal, and the Netherlands' 3-2 victory over Ukraine.

Those who successfully battled the Z-monster on Tuesday were treated to a goal feast - 14 strikes involving just four teams - and a nail-biting penalty shootout that sent the world champions on an early flight home.

The first match between 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia and three-time European champions Spain was at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, and this game definitely did not disappoint one bit.

Wild encounter

The drama began midway through the first half with an extraordinary own goal when Spanish midfielder Pedri's seemingly harmless back pass bobbled past his goalkeeper Unai Simon and rolled into the back of their own net.

Mistakes happen in football - or any sport, for that matter - but this farcical own goal will live in infamy and be replayed endlessly on blooper reels.

Spain somehow overcame that setback to score the next three goals to put one foot into the quarter-finals, only for a defiant Croatia to force extra time with a 92nd-minute equaliser by Mario Pasalic.

The Spaniards eventually took control of this wild encounter in the Danish capital with two goals in the first period of extra time. At that point, Croatia's willpower and energy were all but sapped, and Spain closed out the match in style.

With the victory in the bag, coach Luis Enrique's men also made history by becoming the first team in the 60-year history of the European Championships to score five times in successive matches, building on last week's 5-0 drubbing of Slovakia.

There was barely enough time after the final whistle in Copenhagen had gone before fans - many of whom were already bleary-eyed from fatigue but still giddy with excitement - turned their attention to Bucharest.

Thriller in Bucharest

The National Arena in the Romanian capital was the venue where France - the 2018 World Cup winners - and perennial underdogs Switzerland would play out a six-goal spectacle, a match that can easily serve as a global advertisement for the Beautiful Game.

This bruising battle had it all - stunning strikes, one fightback after another, controversial video-assistant referee rulings, and a dreadful missed penalty by a young star whom many had tipped to be Euro 2020's top scorer but instead finished with a grand total of zero goals.

Switzerland took a shock first-half lead and wasted a glorious opportunity to double their advantage when Ricardo Rodriguez's spot kick was kept out by French captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Just before the hour mark, Les Bleus seized the game by the scruff of its neck, netting thrice in the space of 18 minutes and were cruising towards the quarter-finals.

The 13th-ranked Swiss team, however, had other ideas and were clearly not intent on exiting the tournament just yet. They levelled the scores via a second header by Haris Seferovic and an injury-time goal by Mario Gavranovic meant the two countries had to endure another 30 minutes on the pitch.

With neither side able to break the deadlock in extra time, it was down to the lottery of penalties.

After nine successful spot kicks in a row, it was France's golden boy - the 22-year-old Kylian Mbappe - who saw his effort saved by Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

Cue the frantic and exuberant Switzerland celebrations. The Swiss had never advanced to the final eight of a major tournament since the 1954 World Cup which they hosted, and now they can look forward to a glamorous quarter-final with Spain on Friday.

Until then, this bleary-eyed columnist is thankful for the next two football-free nights to catch up on some much-needed beauty sleep. But come Friday night, it's time to set the alarm clock once again and plonk myself in front of the TV to watch the next twists and turns in this unpredictable and captivating Euro 2020.