Diogo Costa’s penalty heroics propelled Portugal to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals following a challenging match against Slovenia on Monday night.
Portugal’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo was visibly emotional after missing a penalty during the first period of extra-time in the goalless match in Frankfurt.
However, he regained his composure to score in the shoot-out, securing Portugal’s advancement to a high-stakes quarter-final clash with France.
Slovenia put up a determined fight to hold Portugal at bay, with Jan Oblak delivering a stunning save to deny Ronaldo’s penalty after Diogo Jota was fouled. In the shoot-out, Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva all converted their penalties, while Slovenia’s trio missed, allowing Portugal to progress in a dramatic finish.
Portugal’s coach Roberto Martinez returned to a more familiar 4-3-3 formation after his side’s disappointing performance against Georgia in their last group game, where he had experimented with a three-at-the-back setup.
The Euro 2016 champions dominated possession and created their first opportunity 12 minutes in, but Silva’s cross narrowly missed Ronaldo, and Fernandes couldn’t convert at the far post.
Slovenia, participating in their first-ever knockout match at a major competition, maintained a solid defensive shape and limited Portugal’s chances. Ronaldo had a soft header saved by his former rival, Atletico Madrid’s keeper Oblak, and later narrowly missed a free-kick over the bar.
Slovenia’s first notable attempt came just before half-time when RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko fired at Costa from the edge of the box. Portugal’s Joao Palhinha struck the outside of the post with a low drive just before the break.
In the second half, Ronaldo continued to test Oblak with free-kicks, but Slovenia’s defense held firm. Sesko had a golden chance to score but dragged his shot wide after outpacing 41-year-old Pepe.
As the game went into extra-time, Ronaldo missed a crucial penalty after Jota was fouled, leading to tears and an outpouring of support from Portugal fans. Slovenia had a significant chance themselves, but Costa made an excellent save to force a penalty shoot-out.
In the shoot-out, Costa saved efforts from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec, and Benjamin Verbic, while Ronaldo, Fernandes, and Silva scored, sending Portugal through to the next round.
