Kylian Mbappe’s France edged out Christiano Ronaldo’s Portugal 5-3 on penalties to emerge victorious and progress to the EURO 2024 semifinals after a goalless stalemate at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg.
The match was a cagey affair, with both sides struggling to break the deadlock throughout the 120 minutes of play.
France, who were yet to score an open-play goal in the tournament, were once again reliant on their defensive solidity to keep the Portuguese attack at bay.
The first half saw Portugal enjoy more possession, but they were unable to create any clear-cut chances.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s free-kick attempt in the 43rd minute was the closest they came to breaking the deadlock, but the shot sailed wide of the target.
In the second half, the game opened up as both teams pushed for a winner. Kylian Mbappe, who had been quiet in the first half, burst into life early into the half, but his effort was comfortably saved by Diogo Costa.
At the other end, Mike Maignan was called into action, making two crucial saves in three minutes to deny Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha, and send the match into extra time.
In extra time, the tension continued to build. Ronaldo had the chance to redeem himself for his penalty miss against Slovenia, but the veteran striker blazed his effort over the bar, much to the despair of the Portuguese fans.
In the end, it came down to a penalty shootout to decide the winner. France, who had been haunted by shootout heartbreak in the past, this time held their nerve, converting all five of their spot-kicks.
Portugal, on the other hand, saw Joao Felix’s effort hit the post, and Theo Hernandez stepped up to score the winning penalty for Les Bleus.
France now find themselves in the semis without any open play goal at the tournament, having benefitted from two own goals and a penalty in their previous four games.
But the French have also have a superb defensive record. They have not conceded in open play at EURO 2024 with goalkeeper Mike Maignan making key saves, and defender William Saliba standing strong in the defence.
The result was a bitter pill to swallow for Portugal, who had hoped to win another Euro trophy since 2016 and send their legend, Ronaldo into international retirement on a high.
The 39-year-old forward, who has been a talismanic figure for his country over the past two decades, was left dejected as his dreams of lifting a European Championship trophy one more time were dashed.
He was in the Portuguese side that beat France in the EURO 2016 final in Paris, although he went off early with injury and had to urge them on from the sidelines.
France’s victory sets up a mouthwatering semifinal clash with Spain on Tuesday, July 9th at the Munich Football Arena.
Didier Deschamps will be concerned by his team’s lack of cutting edge in front of goal, having now reached the semifinals without scoring a single open-play goal, but will be confident with the team’s defensive solidity.
