Portugal advanced to the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 after defeating Slovenia 3-0 on penalties following a 0-0 draw in their previous round match at Frankfurt Arena in extra time.
In the first half of extra time, Cristiano Ronaldo had a chance to put Portugal ahead from the penalty spot, but Jan Oblak made a fantastic save that had the Portuguese captain in tears.
Ronaldo atoned for his mistakes by scoring in the shootout, and Portugal advanced to the quarterfinals where they will play France on Friday thanks to goals from Bernardo Silva and Diogo Costa, the goalie for Portugal, who stopped three penalties from Slovenia.
On Al Jazeera’s special tournament page, you can follow all the action during the Euro 2024 knockout stages and stay up to speed on group standings, live match results, and schedules.
It’s difficult to ignore Cristiano Ronaldo’s story this evening.
Though he was the center of attention for the majority of the evening, his quest for a goal is still ongoing.
Throughout the game, the Portugal captain attempted a number of free kicks, but the major talking point arrived in the latter stages.
He first offered himself up to accept a penalty in extra time. The Slovenian captain saved the spot kick, but Jan Oblak had other plans. It was as though the narrative had already been written.
At the change of ends, Ronaldo broke down in tears. However, he regained his composure and came back during the shootout, taking the initial penalty.
He didn’t make a mistake this time. What a night!
After this game, Diego Costa and Ronaldo will undoubtedly receive a lot of attention, but Slovenia deserves a lot of the credit.
They had never been here before, yet they more than competed.
They didn’t just stand by and let Portugal frustrate them; they created several opportunities, one of which was the enormous opportunity that Sesko had towards the conclusion of extra time.
Although their performance in the shootout may indicate that they haven’t played in the knockout stages before, they nonetheless had a great campaign.