Portugal vs France – Euro 2024 Quarter-Final
Get ready for an epic showdown: Portugal vs. France, Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Kylian Mbappe. It’s a repeat of the thrilling 2016 final. This Friday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg promises to be an exciting match.
Portugal, under Roberto Martinez, narrowly defeated Slovenia in a dramatic penalty shootout to keep their championship hopes alive. Meanwhile, France edged past Belgium with a narrow 1-0 victory, showing their resilience despite not being at their best.
Monday’s clash at Deutsche Bank Park between Portugal and Slovenia was a mix of heartbreak and triumph for Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite his relentless efforts, he couldn’t score at Euro 2024, largely due to Jan Oblak’s heroic penalty save during extra time.
Ronaldo was in tears as Slovenia kept Portugal from scoring in the last 15 minutes of the 120-minute match. However, when it came to the penalty shootout, Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, and Bruno Fernandes all scored, while Diogo Costa made history by saving three penalties, leading Portugal to the quarter-finals.
This win marked Portugal’s seventh European Championship quarter-final appearance, a record since 1996. They’ve only lost twice at this stage before, against the Czech Republic in 1996 and Germany in 2008. If they beat France in Hamburg, they’ll face either Spain or Germany in the semi-finals. Despite their success, Portugal has struggled to score in their last two matches, including a surprising 2-0 loss to Georgia.
France, too, has faced challenges. They haven’t scored from open play in their four Euro 2024 matches. Their only goals came from a penalty by Kylian Mbappe and an own goal by an Austrian defender. Despite this, they defeated Belgium 1-0 in the last 16, thanks to a deflected goal by Randal Kolo Muani. France’s defense has been solid, conceding only one goal in their last six matches.
As Ronaldo and Mbappe prepare to face off, memories of Portugal’s 2016 Euro final win against France come to mind. That victory, thanks to a goal by Eder, remains Portugal’s only win in their last 13 encounters with France. Portugal has no major fitness concerns and is likely to field the same starting XI on Friday. Ronaldo, chasing his first goal of the tournament after 20 attempts, will earn his 212th cap.
France will make at least one change, as Adrien Rabiot is suspended. Possible replacements include Ousmane Dembele, Eduardo Camavinga, Youssouf Fofana, or Warren Zaire-Emery. Didier Deschamps is expected to choose Camavinga, maintaining the same formation used against Belgium. Rabiot’s suspension might see Marcus Thuram drop out in favor of Kolo Muani.
With both teams battling scoring issues but boasting strong defenses, the Portugal vs. France quarter-final promises to be a tense and thrilling encounter.
