In the early morning of July 2, Beijing time, the quarterfinals of the 2024 Euro Cup staged a key battle. Portugal and Slovenia were tied for 120 minutes and had to go to a brutal penalty shootout. Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa saved three penalties in a row and finally led the team to win 3-0 and advance to the quarterfinals. In this campaign, the 39-year-old veteran Ronaldo continued to start the game and played the whole game. However, he failed to score on eight shots and missed a penalty in extra time, which almost saved the team.
Portugal qualified for the group stage with 2 wins and 1 loss, while Slovenia drew three times in a row to finish third in the group. Judging from the comparison of the total value of the starting 11 on both sides, Portugal is 5 times that of the opponent. After the opening, they also dominated the possession, and Ronaldo had many chances on goal but did not take them. In the second half, the Portuguese superstar tested the saving ability of the world's No. 1 goalkeeper Oblak with free kicks and powerful shots. However, the two sides ended up in a 0-0 draw at 90 minutes and had to go to extra time.
In the 105th minute of extra time, Jota burst into the box and fell to the ground, and Portugal was awarded a valuable penalty opportunity. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to the penalty spot, but his shot was saved by Oblak. After missing the penalty, Ronaldo hid his face and cried bitterly, while his teammates stepped forward to comfort him. In the 115th minute, veteran Pepe made a fatal mistake at the back, but fortunately, Sheshko's shot was saved by Diogo Costa, Portugal escaped, and the game went into a brutal penalty shootout.
In the first round of the penalty shootout, Costa saved Ilicic's penalty, and then Ronaldo made his first appearance for Portugal, a move that the veteran still showed unparalleled courage. And he finally broke his heart and scored the penalty. Subsequently, B Fei and B also scored successively, while Diogo Costa saved the opponent's penalty twice, helping Portugal win 3-0 on aggregate to enter the quarterfinals.
In this game, Cristiano Ronaldo played the whole game, contributing a game-high 8 shots and 4 shots on target, hitting the woodwork once, but did not score and missed a valuable penalty in extra time. If it weren't for goalkeeper Diogo Costa to keep the goal alive, the Portuguese team would have gone home.
One thing to say, after missing the penalty, Ronaldo was still the first to stand up in the penalty shootout, showing his courage and responsibility as the captain of the team, which is worthy of praise. However, judging from this game, Ronaldo also shows the twilight side of the hero. After all, he is 39 years old, and he feels powerless on the court. This time, Diogo Costa's heroic play made Ronaldo go from a sinner to a hero. However, good fortune doesn't always go with you.
In the quarter-finals, Portugal will face a strong former world champion France, who are far from being comparable to Slovenia. At that time, the French backline led by Saliba and Yu Parmecano will put more pressure on Ronaldo and let the 39-year-old feel the power of youth. If Portugal still let Ronaldo start the whole game like this morning, it is estimated that it will be more than lucky. So, in order for the team to move forward, Luo Laohan considered giving up a single position?