Cristiano Ronaldo’s Euro 2024 journey concluded in the quarter-finals as France triumphed over Portugal. Today, July 5, Portugal faced France at the Volksparkstadion in a quarter-final clash that failed to meet expectations, with both teams squandering their limited opportunities.
Ronaldo, who had announced this Euro as his career’s last, found himself isolated against France. Throughout the match and extra time, he anticipated passes and crosses that never materialized, and struggled to make an impact as his teammates struggled to connect with him in attack. Despite his subdued performance, coach Roberto Martínez opted to keep him on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe also had a challenging game, hindered by a facial injury sustained earlier. Unlike Ronaldo, Mbappe was substituted during extra time due to his injury.
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In Mbappe’s absence, France held Portugal to a goalless draw after 120 minutes, leading to a penalty shootout. Ronaldo opened the shootout by calmly converting his penalty, but João Félix’s miss allowed France to secure a 5-3 victory on penalties.
With this win, France advances to the Euro 2024 semi-finals where they will face Spain.