7W37：Ronaldo bids farewell to Euro Cup! France defeats Portugal in penalty shootout
On the evening of July 5th local time, the second quarter-final match of the 2024 Euro Cup took place in Hamburg, Germany. After 120 minutes of intense battle, both teams entered the penalty shootout with a 0-0 scoreline. In the end, France defeated Portugal 5-3 on penalties, advancing to the semi-finals. Their opponent in the semi-final will be the Spanish team.
Pre-match Introduction
Prior to this match, the two teams had faced each other six times in the last decade, with France remaining unbeaten with 3 wins and 3 draws in regular time. Looking at their history in Euro Cup knockout stages, they had previously met in the knockout stages in 1984, 2000, and 2016, all extending into extra time.
In this match, the 6th-ranked Portugal team was led by C Ronaldo, making him the first player in history to reach 30 appearances in the Euro Cup, a stalwart in European football! Ranked 2nd in the world, France made adjustments in their midfield and forward lines, with Camavinga and Colo Muani getting the chance to start, supporting Mbappe.
Game Process Review
With the whistle from Premier League referee Oliver, both teams quickly found their rhythm. France used Mbappe’s presence upfront to attempt breaking through the opponent’s defense with his individual skills on the left, but the masked Mbappe failed to link up with his teammates. The Portuguese team utilized the speed on the left flank led by Liao and Nuno Mendes to push forward. Despite Liao’s impressive control and a back-heel pass to Mendes, Mendes failed to find Ronaldo in the middle.
In the 28th minute, Portugal’s corner failed to create an opportunity, leading to an effective counterattack by France. However, Mbappe’s pass back to Griezmann was intercepted by Kante outside the penalty area, wasting a good counterattacking opportunity.
During the game, France conceded some possession to gain Mbappe’s acceleration space for counterattacks. Coach Deschamps started Muani as the central forward, but he did not play the pivotal role as planned, losing out to Portugal’s experienced veteran Pepe and missing several good opportunities to penetrate the middle into the penalty area.
Throughout the first half, both teams hardly created absolute threats, with only 5 shots and 1 shot on target in total, especially compared to Germany’s and Spain’s quarter-finals.
At the beginning of the second half, France continued to press the opponent’s defense, with Mbappe’s long shot comfortably caught by Portuguese goalkeeper Costa. Later, Muani missed another chance to score from close range in the penalty area. Subsequently, Portugal had a corner kick opportunity, with B Fei delivering the ball to the far post where Manchester City midfielder headed the ball directly, blocked by Mbappe’s head. However, due to this block, the French forward, who had suffered a broken nose in the group stage, felt uncomfortable again.
In the 61st minute, Portugal created a scoring chance from the right, with Cancelo’s back-heel pass to B Fei in the penalty area, the follow-up Manchester United midfielder got a direct shot, but was thrown away by the heroic Mai Niang, lying sideways. Just under a minute later, Liao’s breakthrough cross created a scoring chance, Vitinia and Ronaldo’s consecutive shots were blocked by Mai Niang, and Portugal missed consecutive scoring opportunities!
However, France quickly responded by using familiar counterattacks to create killing opportunities, with Konde’s pass to Muani creating a one-on-one opportunity. However, like the missed opportunity in the Qatar World Cup final, this time Muani’s shot was cleared by Ruben Diaz, who was back in defense! Subsequently, Camavinga’s shot from the right side of the small penalty area and Delroy’s long shot were off the ball, missing the chance to change the score. During this period, Griezmann was replaced by Delroy, and the French team began to fully implement the tactical thinking of two side-by-side attacks.
Penalty Shootout
However, when the 90-minute match ended, neither side was able to open the opponent’s door, and the top eight of this European Cup finals came to an extra-time competition. In the extra-time stage, C Ronaldo, Delroy and Liao missed their chances, and Mbappe was replaced ahead of time due to a nasal bone injury. With Nuno Mendes’s last-second shot missing, the 0-0 score was maintained until the end of 120 minutes, and the game entered a cruel penalty shootout.
The first four French players all calmly scored penalties, and the third Portuguese player Felix’s penalty was rejected by the goal post. With Theo’s penalty hit, France eliminated their opponents with a score of 5-3 in the penalty shootout.
The French team, who progressed to the semi-finals, will compete with the Spanish team for a place in the final. In the early morning of July 10, Beijing time, the semi-final between these two teams will take place in Munich.
