Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Portugal0 - 0Slovenia

sportsmole.co.uk, 1 July 2024, 21:48
Diogo Costa proved to be the hero as Portugal held their nerve to beat Slovenia on penalties after Cristiano Ronaldo had missed a spot-kick in extra time.

Portugal were unable to find a way past a disciplined Slovenian backline, even though they threatened on a number of occasions at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt.

Joao Palhinha struck the woodwork in first-half stoppage time, while Ronaldo failed to make the most of the four free-kicks he had in regulation time.

The Al-Nassr forward looked set to put that frustration behind them when he stepped up to the penalty spot in the 105th minute, only to be denied by the outstretched Jan Oblak.

However, it was Oblak's opposite number who had the defining say, with Costa making a crucial stop to deny Benjamin Sesko in the dying embers of extra time, before saving each of Slovenia's three penalties to claim a shootout victory, setting up a quarter-final clash with France.

Ronaldo left in tears

Roberto Martinez's side may have emerged victorious, but the game's most memorable moment took place in the 105th minute.

Ronaldo placed the ball down on the penalty spot after the referee Daniele Orsato ruled that Vanja Drkusic had fouled Diogo Jota as the Liverpool man drove into the box.

Sensationally, the 39-year-old saw his penalty expertly saved by Oblak, who dived to his left to push the ball onto the post and away from danger.

The miss left Ronaldo in tears at the break in extra time, but he ultimately regained his composure to score Portugal's first penalty in the subsequent shootout.

Costa proves to be Portugal's hero

Slovenia may have been frustrated to even be in a penalty shootout after Sesko spurned a glorious opportunity to win the game in the 115th minute.

The forward pounced on a mistake from Pepe to race into the box with only Costa to beat, but he was ultimately denied by the left leg of the Portuguese goalkeeper.

Not content with keeping his efforts in extra-time, Costa produced three more crucial saves in the penalty shootout to deny Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbic.

While Costa kept Slovenia at bay, Ronaldo made amends for his earlier penalty miss, dispatching Portugal's first spot-kick before Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva followed suit to send their country into the quarter-finals.

Do Portugal have a Ronaldo problem?

Ronaldo may have redeemed himself in the penalty shootout, but his overall performance was underwhelming and raises the question of whether he should still be starting for his country.

The veteran failed to find a breakthrough from any of his four free-kick attempts, with only one of those efforts troubling Oblak in the Slovenian goal.

Ronaldo still possesses the movement and nous of a top-level forward, but he offers very little out-of-possession and even the build-up phase of an attack.

While Martinez is unlikely to drop him for the quarter-final, there is surely a trail of thought that he could offer more as an impact substitute in the final 20 minutes rather than trying to affect the game from the start.

What next for Portugal and Slovenia?

Portugal have ultimately bettered their last-16 exit at Euro 2020, and they will now start preparations for Friday's last-eight clash against 2022 World Cup finalists France.

As for Slovenia, their first knockout round appearance at a major tournament may have ended in disappointment, but they can certainly be proud of their efforts as they now turn their focus to the start of the UEFA Nations League in September.

Top News

26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea and Fulham have announced their teams for the West London derby at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal pair Gabriel Jesus and David Raya could both write new chapters of Gunners history when Mikel Arteta's men host Ipswich Town in Friday's Premier League encounter. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Christmas may have come and gone, but Man City' boss Pep Guardiola - and his players - are hoping for presents in the form of new signings. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to finish a successful year with a streak of five straight Serie A wins, Inter Milan will visit Cagliari on Saturday, as both sides play their final fixture of 2024. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are supposedly all prepared to go head-to-head for the services of Club Brugge defender Maxim De Cuyper in the January window. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says that he loves the club but that the future is uncertain ahead of his side's clash against Leicester City at Anfield on Boxing Day in the Premier League. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United could supposedly repeat their Chido Obi Martin trick by prising another young talent away from Arsenal in 2025. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United and Real Madrid have seemingly been handed a significant boost in their hopes of landing AC Milan left-back Theo Hernandez, who is experiencing 'high tension' with head coach Paulo Fonseca. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Man City will attempt to arrest their calamitous slump in form when they face Everton on Boxing Day. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Finishing off their 2024 schedule with a battle at the bottom, Serie A survival rivals Parma and Monza will meet at Stadio Tardini on Saturday. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will not be 'waving the white flag' in the Premier League title race, but the Spaniard and his squad will look at the top-flight table with "a fair bit of regret". 26 December 2024 talksport.com Man City's under pressure stars slept at the club's training ground on Christmas Day as they look to turn around their worrying form. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly laid out their plan over how to approach for the upcoming January transfer window. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest will be bidding to end a 29-year run when they play host to Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will have the chance to sign Victor Osimhen in January in a deal with Napoli that would see one of Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee or Marcus Rashford head in the opposite direction. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Chelsea will always be busy in a transfer window - it's a tale as old as time. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both beaten by Serie A title contenders just before Christmas, Empoli and Genoa will meet for their final fixture of 2024 on Saturday afternoon. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa will be hoping to avoid equalling an 89-year streak when they square off against Newcastle United on Boxing Day. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Damian Lewis may be an award-winning actor - but Zinedine Zidane showed him levels when it came to a performing masterclass. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal face the prospect of losing out on Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams, who is reportedly on serious interest to Bayern Munich. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim believes the club are at one of their lowest moments in living memory, and the side face the prospect of entering 2025 in the bottom half of the Premier League. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hearts vs. Hibernian (Thursday, 12.30pm) Two places separate Edinburgh rivals Hearts and Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership table heading into gameweek 19's Boxing Day derby at Tynecastle Park. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Man City vs. Everton (Thursday, 12.30pm) The first Premier League fixture after Christmas will see Everton make the short trip down the M62 to face champions Manchester City at the Etihad on Boxing Day. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The Boxing Day feast of Premier League football concludes at around 10pm at Anfield, where league leaders Liverpool will hope to be celebrating a 13th top-flight win of the season against Leicester City. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool will almost certainly win their Premier League match against Leicester City at Anfield on Boxing Day, according to Reds expert David Lynch. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim's Manchester United will look to return to winning ways when they travel to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Boxing Day. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal fans should not expect Ethan Nwaneri to start Premier League matches week in week out in the wake of Bukayo Saka's injury, Gunners expert Charles Watts has warned. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea and Fulham and meet at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day in a second West London derby to be played at the stadium in the space of three weeks. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Looking to strengthen their unlikely push for a Champions League spot, Bournemouth will host Crystal Palace at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League on Boxing Day. 25 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Three years after being given the boot by Tottenham Hotspur, Nuno Espirito Santo reunites with his former employers again on Boxing Day, as Spurs head to the City Ground to meet Nottingham Forest.