Clement Pedron, Media365 Posted on Tuesday, July 2, 2024 at 12:07 am
Portugal were very dominant but unable to lock down Jan Oblak, and needed penalties to escape the trap set by Slovenia. The 2016 European champions will face France on Friday at 9pm.
France waited until almost the last minute to eliminate Belgium a few hours earlier. Their future rival has long been desired, but it is Portugal who will challenge France on Friday at 9pm in Hamburg for a place in the semi-finals. The Seleção had to wait until the penalty shootout to beat a Slovenian team that was very effective in positioning and organization but was not devilishly accurate in the final stretch. The 2016 European champions went through all the emotions on Monday evening. He could have done that in the first half because he was dominant and dangerous near the penalty area but his men either missed the target or came up against Jan Oblak. Even João Balenha, the Portuguese midfielder, found the post with a clear shot in stoppage time before the end of the first half.
In the second half, Portugal achieved a wonderful pace, but was unable to impose the Slovenian lock. Fortunately, the Dragons didn't punish them for the few chances they did get either, especially Benjamin Sisco. During this encounter, the man who will be announced as joining Arsenal next season was given the ball several times if it was not qualified but the Leipzig striker systematically missed his final move.
The unknown Ronaldo
Present from the beginning until the end of the match, Cristiano Ronaldo crystallized some of the difficulties that were noted during the meeting. Not at the right pace, inaccurate and slow, the Seleção captain had difficulty justifying his presence on the field, but he was able to rely on the steady support of his coach, Roberto Martinez, who did not have the courage to replace him. . But “CR7” undoubtedly needed it, especially when we look at his body language.. All you had to do was see his tears after Oblak saved the penalty kick during the first half of extra time after a foul by Drkosic. Jota must realize the extent to which the former Madrelini was on the brink. Fortunately, Cristiano Ronaldo will get a second chance during the “real” penalty shootout as five minutes before the final whistle, Benjamin Cisco missed the qualifier after missing a confrontation with Diogo Costa after Pepe lost the ball. The Seleção's first striker, 'CR7', did not waste this time and put his choice on the right track before his goalkeeper made a celebratory pass in which he saved three penalty kicks. Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva completed the mission of the Portugal national team, which will face France on Friday, in a repeat of the 2016 European Championship final.
