July 1st Summary

The results, highlights and surprises of this day of the competition. Main photo: EFE

Portugal beat Slovenia on penalties on Monday to qualify for the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, where they will face France on July 5, after a fantastic performance by Diogo Costa, who saved three penalty shots.

From tears after missing a penalty in extra time to laughter after beating Slovenia in the penalty shoot-out, Cristiano Ronaldo will have an extra life in the Euros thanks to the great performance of his goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who reigned in the tragicomedy of his teammate after stopping three penalties in the penalty shoot-out and saving a one-on-one against Sesko in the last moment of extra time.

Cristiano Ronaldo was eliminated from the Euros for many minutes. Oblak, an impenetrable wall, another excellent goalkeeper who deserves a monument, stopped all his attempts. The most intense one, in the first part of extra time, caused the inexhaustible Portuguese footballer to cry, who could not contain his emotions after missing a penalty that would have avoided the subsequent lottery from the eleven meters. But then Diogo Costa appeared, to rescue his teammate, who then dared to take another penalty that, this time, he did not miss.

Roberto Martínez must not have liked the experiment of the last day of the group stage, in which, with a few exceptions, he faced Georgia with a starting eleven full of theoretical substitutes. He lost, the image was close to disaster and he returned to his origins, to his most recognizable team with which he triumphed in his first two games of the Euro Cup. The same team that defeated Turkey 0-3 appeared on the Frankfurt Arena pitch to end the adventure of the determined Slovenia.

Cristiano Ronaldo was once again in the mix. The Al-Nassr striker played almost the entire match. He only missed the last 25 minutes of the defeat against Georgia. His ambition seems to have no limits and Roberto Martínez is going all out with his striker. He doesn’t care about the criticism that no matter how many goals he scores or how well he is physically, he is a burden for Portugal’s system. The Portuguese coach is betting on him and that’s it.

And as in the previous matches, Cristiano once again brought out his anxiety. He has not yet calmed down his insatiable voracity during the Euros and needs to celebrate a goal to calm down. It is absolutely necessary, because otherwise he will have an attack. Against Slovenia, from the first second, he demonstrated with excessive histrionics that he wants to become the oldest player to score in the history of the tournament. This haste and this longing perhaps infected Portugal, which was overly excited and always in fifth gear. There was no pause. Everything worked at too high a speed.

Slovenia, entrenched behind Oblak, managed to hold out against the Portuguese storm in the first half and only worried Portugal with a shot from Sesko on the edge of the break. They came out alive and without conceding a goal because their rival was aiming wide. On occasions, they missed the target by the millimetres that Cristiano needed to head two very clear attempts; also, because the Portuguese striker sent a free kick from the edge of the area over the crossbar, very close; and Palhinha, at the last minute, closed the carousel of opportunities with a shot that kissed the base of Oblak’s post.

The passage through the dressing room calmed Portugal, who abandoned their initial madness in favour of a slower game that also failed to work. Only Joao Cancelo, persistent and unbalancing on the right, managed to create something within the Slovenian defensive structure, very secure in their area of play and waiting for a counterattack that Sesko narrowly missed, showing off his power in speed against Pepe only to fail in front of Diogo Costa.

Roberto Martínez sought a solution to the jam with Diogo Jota and without Vitinha, who he took off the pitch to face the last half hour. Cristiano, meanwhile, continued to be distracted in his own world, trying everything with a certain amount of selfishness, taking free kicks: the long ones, the close ones, the ones on the left or the right. All of them, except one, which at least went against Oblak’s body, badly taken. And in the end, when he had to score, he didn’t: in the 89th minute, in front of Oblak, he again sent the ball against the efficient Slovenian goalkeeper.

They had to face an extra time that Portugal surely did not expect. Slovenia’s plan was still in place, only now they had to extend the match to penalties with two teams who were terrified of any mistake and that is why nothing happened until the tragedy of the night. Diogo Jota caused a dubious penalty and Cristiano, at last, saw the light at the end of the tunnel with a unique opportunity. He grabbed the ball, no one else could take the penalty, and Oblak stopped it.

He left the extra-time break in tears. Tragedy for Portugal was looming. His mother, in the stands, was also crying inconsolably. His teammates were hugging and kissing an idol who seemed to have fallen and who was on the verge of not even extending the match to penalties. Diogo Costa gave Cristiano another match point with a decisive save in a one-on-one with Sesko, the second he missed in a match that was decided on penalties. In those, once again, the Portuguese goalkeeper appeared to stop the shots of Drkusic, Balkovec and Verbic. Then, Cristiano breathed a sigh of relief, calmed his anxiety and France awaits in the quarter-finals.

EFE

France defeated Belgium

France defeated Belgium on Monday 1 July in the round of 16 of Euro 2024 and secured their place in the quarter-finals.

France qualified thanks to a rebound goal from Jan Verthonghen into his own net after a shot from Randal Kolo Muani went wide in the 85th minute.

France defender Jules Koundé was named man of the match with seven ball recoveries, 10.7 kilometres covered and 34.1 kilometres per hour as his fastest run, which he used to contain the skill of Jeremy Doku.

The UEFA Observer Panel assessed that the Barcelona right-back “was very strong defensively, very useful in attacking areas, delivered dangerous crosses and very good one-on-one defensively against Doku,” according to the organisation.