Portugal, who won their group, met Slovenia, who went on as third in the group, in the round of 16 in the European Championship in Germany on Monday evening.
When the starting elevens were presented, it was clear that Portugal fielded an expected eleven. They lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Leao, who was back from suspension, up front.
Portugal opened brightly and controlled the game, but Cristiano Ronaldo’s irritation grew in the opening stages of the match as Slovenia guarded him heavily.
– Ronaldo is starting to get a little irritated after only eight minutes and a couple of duels. So it’s probably going in the wrong direction, the Slovenians will continue to lie close and disturb him, said TV4’s expert commentator Jens Fjellström.
The Portuguese continued to drum up and got into a couple of good positions. Among other things, Bernardo Silva hit a cross that Bruno Fernandes was able to push into the goal.
The wingers in Portugal continued to put in crosses against 39-year-old Ronaldo – but the Slovenians still provided formidable coverage of the big star.
Ronaldo kept trying. In the 34th minute, he was in a good position when Portugal were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area. He shot hard and precisely – but a few centimeters over Oblak’s crossbar.
A few minutes later he had another free-kick opportunity, this time from a narrower angle. He shot outside the goal frame again – and the 39-year-old’s frustration grew even more.
– It will be interesting to follow Ronaldo in this match and see how he manages to handle these situations and the frustration. An ordinary player would have been in complete despair at this point, said TV4’s expert commentator Jens Fjellström.
The best scoring chance of the match so far came in the final seconds, when Palhinha pushed off from outside the penalty area. But the ball skimmed just outside Oblak’s right post. Score at half-time: 0-0, without a single shot on target from Portugal.
TV4’s expert Mikael Lustig gave his view on Ronaldo’s effort at half-time:
– He has had many situations with his head, but it is not the old Ronaldo. It’s like he’s not wearing his “Air Nikes”, he doesn’t reach all the way up, said TV4 Play expert Mikael Lustig at halftime.
Ronaldo got his third opportunity on a free kick in the 55th minute of the match. And the shot was heavy. It took two hands for Jan Oblak, but he managed to resist. But Portugal crept closer and closer to a lead.
– If his first free kick was heavy – then this one was even heavier, Jens Fjellström said in TV4’s broadcast.
Portugal rumbled on and the Slovenians toiled like animals to prevent a lead goal. But with half an hour to go, 21-year-old Benjamin Sesko almost chased a free position – but a 20-year-old Pepe covered up well and the situation ended in the sand.
When the clock had ticked up to 70 minutes, Ronaldo got his fourth position on a free kick. But even this attempt went off target. And a certain frustration in the team could be noted.
– I think there is starting to be some irritation with Ronaldo’s teammates. It’s not like they come forward and pat him after he misses, said TV4’s expert Jens Fjellström.
With a minute left, Ronaldo had a great opportunity – again. Diogo Jota played the 39-year-old forward and he basically came free, but the shot with his left foot went straight into Oblak’s arms.
When the referee blew the match off, the score was still 0-0. Extension pending.
Slovenia opened the first quarter of extra time energetically and lined up a couple of half-chances early on. So did Portugal, who took over more and more as time went on.
With a couple of minutes left in the first quarter of extra time, Portugal were awarded a penalty – when Diogo Joto was held up in the penalty area before falling to the ground.
– Of course he will be picked up, absolutely, said TV4 Play expert Jens Fjellström in the broadcast
And who stepped forward?
Cristiano Ronaldo.
But Jan Oblak made a great save.
– Ronaldo is denied becoming a hero for Portugal. One of the biggest cheats in Cristiano Ronaldo’s career, said TV4’s commentator Lasse Granqvist in the broadcast.
– It’s a world-class save from Jan Oblak. A phenomenal save. And Cristiano Ronaldo: what will his next 15 minutes be like? Will he get the chance to take revenge?, Jens Fjellström filled in.
During the break, Ronaldo’s emotions overflowed – as he was seen crying, while being supported by his teammates.
In the 115th minute of the match, Slovenia instead got a golden opportunity to decide, when Sesko got free after Portuguese carelessness. But Costa provided a brilliant leg parade and kept Portugal in the match.
When the referee blew the whistle, it was still 0-0, despite all the circumstances. It was time for a penalty shootout.
MISS, 0-0, Josip Ilicic, Slovenien.
GOAL, 1-0, Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal.
MISS, 1-0, Jure Balkovec, Slovenian.
GOAL, 2-0, Bruno Fernandes, Portugal.
MISS, 2-0, Benjamin Verbic, Slovenia.
GOAL, 3-0, Bernardo Silva, Portugal.
Diego Costa saved Slovenia’s three penalties and Ronaldo finally got the ball into the net. Portugal thus advanced to the quarter-finals, where they will face France, who earlier on Monday won over Belgium.
The disappointment in Slovenia, who fought bravely for 120 minutes, was monumental.
– What a tournament they are doing. I really suffer with them, said TV4’s expert Mikael Lustig after the ruling.
Ronaldo, who missed the penalty in extra time but later recovered in the shootout, cried tears of joy after the triumph.
– First there was an initial sadness, then joy when the signal went off. That’s what football brings. It gives inexplicable moments, says Ronaldo after the match, and continues:
– That’s what happened today. I had the chance to give an advantage to the national team. I didn’t succeed, Oblak made a good save. But I have to look at the penalty – I don’t know if it was good or bad. During the year I did not miss a single penalty. But when I needed it most, then Oblak saved.
He concludes:
– Right now it is a mixture between joy and sadness. The most important thing is that we now get to enjoy the advancement. The team made an extraordinary effort, we fought until the end. And if we analyze the match carefully, I think we deserved this. We had more chances, Slovenia played defensively. But they deserve credit, especially Oblak.
But Portugal’s great penalty hero is still called Diogo Costa. He was directly decisive with three out of three penalty saves. He had the following to say about the shiver:
– I am enjoying myself, while I have spent all my energy on this. I am very happy to be a part of this and help the team. I dedicate this match to my family, he said after the match.
Diogo Costa also became the record holder. Never in a European Championship had a goalkeeper saved three penalties in a shootout before.
Portugal will play their European Championship quarter-final against France on Friday, July 5, at 9:00 p.m.
Startelvor:
Portugal: Costa – Cancelo, Dias, Pepe, Mendes – Fernandes, Palhinha, Vitinha – Silva, Ronaldo, Leao.
Slovenia: Oblak – Balkovec, Bijol, Drkusic, Karnicnik – Mlakar, Elsnik, Cerin, Stojanovic – Sesko, Sporar.