Clement Biedron, Media365, published 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 had waited until almost the last minute to eliminate Belgium a few hours earlier. Their future opponents had long been coveted, but it was Portugal who would challenge France on Friday at 9pm in Hamburg for a place in the semi-finals. The Seleção had to wait until penalties to overcome a Slovenian side who were very effective in positioning and organisation but were not devilishly accurate in the final act. The 2016 European champions went through all the emotions on Monday night. They could have done so in the first half as they were dominant and dangerous near the penalty area but either missed the target or ran into Jan Oblak. Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha even found the post with a clear shot in stoppage time before the break.
In the second half, Portugal had a great pace but were unable to lock down the Slovenian side. Fortunately, the Dragons did not punish them for the few chances they had, especially Benjamin Sisko. During this encounter, the man who will be announced as a new Arsenal player next season had a goal ball several times if not qualified but the Leipzig striker systematically missed his final move.
The unknown Ronaldo
Present from start to finish, Cristiano Ronaldo crystallized some of the difficulties that were observed during the meeting. Not at the right pace, not precise, and slow, the Seleção captain had difficulty justifying his presence on the pitch, but he was able to count on the unwavering support of his coach, Roberto Martínez, who did not have the courage to replace him. But “CR7” undoubtedly needed him, especially when you look at his body language. All you had to do was see the tears after Oblak saved a penalty kick in the first half of extra time after a mistake by Drkosic. Jota should have realized how far the former Madridista was on the brink. Fortunately, Cristiano Ronaldo would have a second chance during the “real” penalty shootout, as five minutes before the final whistle, Benjamin Cisco missed the ball to qualify after missing a challenge against Diogo Costa after Pepe lost the ball. The Selecao's first striker, “CR7”, did not miss this time and put his choice on the right track before his team's goalkeeper made a celebratory pass in which he saved three penalties. Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva completed the task for the Portugal team, which will face France on Friday, in a repeat of the Euro 2016 final.
