Status: 06.07.2024 00:18
Spain’s semi-final opponent at the European Championships is France. In a defensive battle with few scoring opportunities, the French beat Portugal 5:3 on penalties on Friday evening (July 5, 2024). The decisive missed shot was made by substitute Joao Félix – he only hit the post. After regular time and extra time, the score was still 0:0.
For the French, Didier Deschamps modified his system for the first time in this tournament and opted for a double striker with Kylian Mbappé and Randal Kolo Muani. But in the first 20 minutes, the Équipe Tricolore could have played without a striker at all – the 1998 and 2018 world champions were so passive. Portugal had more than 60 percent possession without putting in too much effort and won significantly more tackles. But there were no scoring opportunities at all for Roberto Martínez’s team either.
To the live ticker: Portugal vs France Arrow right Quarterfinals Arrow right
For fans of well-kept defensive football, the action in Hamburg was certainly a feast for the eyes. For the Portuguese, Bayern Munich’s dream player Joao Palinha cleared a lot of the ball away in front of the back four. What got through was then in the best hands of Pepe, who played an outstanding game at the age of 41, and his teammate Ruben Dias.
France neutralizes Cristano Ronaldo
On the other hand, the picture was similar. Deschamps had already mothballed his four-man attack after the first group match against Austria and installed Aurélien Tchouaméni as a third sweeper in front of the chain alongside Adrien Rabiot and N’Golo Kanté – this strategy against spectacle and for bulwark led to Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, only eleven ball contacts in the entire first half.
The ageing superstar surprisingly missed out on a twelfth goal in the 42nd minute, when he gave a free kick to a colleague just 25 metres from the French goal. But Bruno Fernandes missed the target, just like “CR7” did in his ticket festival in the round of 16 against Slovenia.
At least one goal – in the 50th minute
The second half also began with tactics and a desire to avoid mistakes. In the 50th minute, however, the spectators got a little excited when Mbappé aimed for the Portuguese goal, but his shot was too central, so Diogo Costa had no problems. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Things got painful for the French superstar five minutes later: Bernardo Silva headed the ball from close range against the mask that was supposed to protect his broken nose – but after a short treatment he continued.
Double chance for Portugal – Maignan saves
And after all: Shortly after the mask goal, the goal was targeted again. The Portuguese even had a double chance: first, Bruno Fernandes failed to beat Mike Maignan after a perfect through ball from Joao Cancelo (61st minute), two minutes later the Milan goalie was on hand to stop Vitinha and then a heel trick attempt against Ronaldo.
Then the French also loosened their sights for a moment. First, Kolo Muani, who had already initiated the victory against Belgium in the round of 16, narrowly missed the lead (66th minute). Then Camavinga had a completely free shot from four meters, but pushed the ball just past the left post (71st minute). Three minutes later, substitute Ousmane Dembélé came even closer, his shot even touching the crossbar by a fraction.
Extra time – Ronaldo misses the lead
The game then went back to sleep peacefully. It was only at the start of extra time that the next wake-up call came: Substitute Francisco Conceicao dribbled his way to the baseline, passed the ball back to the six-yard box, where Ronaldo rushed in – and smashed the ball into the Hamburg evening sky. Rafael Leao also had another chance in the 103rd minute, but shot at Dayot Upamecano.
Deschamps then substituted Mbappé for the second half of extra time, but Ronaldo stayed on the field until the end. The last chance before the penalty shootout fell to Nuno Mendes, but his low shot after a counterattack once again landed at Maignan’s feet.
France still without a goal
In the end, the penalty kicks decided the match. France remained ice-cold and unwavering, with all five shooters scoring. For the Portuguese, Cristiano Ronaldo scored, but Joao Félix’s shot on the post was the decisive knockout blow.
It’s hard to believe: France is in the semi-finals of this European Championship without having scored a single goal from open play in five matches. Own goals from Max Wöber and Jan Vertonghen helped them against Austria and Belgium. They drew 0-0 against the Netherlands, and the goal in the 1-1 draw against Poland came from a penalty by Mbappé.
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