Portugal keeper rescues Cristiano Ronaldo from the valley of tears
In the extension, Cristiano Ronaldo fails from eleven yards, the EURO-16 knockout stage between Portugal and Slovenia goes to a penalty shootout. In the shootout, CR7 - and Diogo Costa rises to become an unbeatable hero. The favorite advances after scoreless 120 minutes from the spot.
At first, tears flowed, but thanks to Diogo Costa, Cristiano Ronaldo found his laughter again. With three saved penalties, the goalkeeper brought Portugal to the EURO-17 quarterfinals against France with Kylian Mbappe. The duel of superstars stands against the tenacious underdog Slovenia after a 3:0 (0:0) following the penalty shootout. Ronaldo was once again the central figure: He missed from the spot (105.), but in the shootout, he kept his nerves.
"I was crazy sad at first, now I'm happy. That's football. I missed that penalty, that doesn't happen often for me," said Ronaldo about the scene in the extension that made him and his mother cry on the bench: "The most important thing is that we're in the quarterfinals now."
This will likely be the last EURO journey for the Portuguese captain. The clash against Mbappe's French on Friday (21:00/ZDF, MagentaTV and live at ntv.de) in Hamburg requires a significant improvement from Ronaldo, who pulled his team forward under a closed roof in Frankfurt but apparently lost the killer instinct of his best times.
For Slovenia, despite great effort, the first knockout game at a tournament ended without a happy ending, and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin's support on the bench did nothing. The wait for the first EURO win goes on even after seven games. Slovenia's coach Matjaz Kek saw a red card in the break of the extension.
Bernardo Silva shoots wide, Oblak prevents Ronaldo goal
A warning for the Portuguese was a 0:2 from March in the only encounter between the two teams, but their self-confidence did not waver. "We want to win every game, including the final. We have no fear," emphasized team captain Bruno Fernandes.
The 39-year-old Ronaldo drove his team forward under a closed roof in Frankfurt right from the start. After about a quarter of an hour, however, the pressure of the initial phase subsided, and the outsider stabilized itself in front of 47,000 spectators. The potentially decisive moments played the Slovenians poorly from the start, and there was only a harmless long-range shot from Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko before the break (44.). But even from the European champions of 2016, little danger emerged, and no goal was scored in the first half.
Instead, a free-kick from Ronaldo flew just a few centimeters over (34.), and Joao Palhinha shot narrowly wide from a distance (45.+3). In the second half, the Slovenian team again came closer to their own penalty area, but precision was lacking in crucial situations. Bernardo Silva missed completely from ten meters (47.), then Ronaldo tested Jan Oblak with a free-kick (55.).
Sesko misses a huge chance for Slovenia
On the opposing side, Sesko had a big chance during a counterattack, but his nerves failed him in front of Diogo Costa (61%). Portugal grew increasingly nervous as the game progressed. In the 89th minute, however, Ronaldo had the biggest chance of the entire game - from just a few meters, he shot Oblak in the arms.
And from eleven meters, it made no difference with his first tournament goal, after Diogo Jota was fouled in the box. Ronaldo kissed the ball, placed it on the spot and shot sharply to the right, but Oblak deflected the ball with his fingers on the post. Ronaldo wept during the break in extra time, and his mother on the tribune shed tears as well. Then came the penalty shootout, where the favorite hit three times and the outsider missed three times.
Portugal:
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Diogo Jota
- (...)
Slovenia:
- Jan Oblak
- Zan Sesko
- (...)
Crystal clear, Cristiano Ronaldo had an opportunity to score from the penalty spot during the European Football Championship 2024, but his effort was saved by Slovenia's goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Despite missing his penalty kick, Ronaldo played a crucial role in Portugal's victory in the shootout, eventually advancing to the quarterfinals against France.
The international match between Portugal and Slovenia during the European Football Championship 2024 saw Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in the regular time, but the game eventually proceeded into a thrilling penalty shootout where Ronaldo's presence was indispensable.
