New Delhi: Portugal progressed through to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, beating a brave Slovenia on penalties in the round of 16 tie played at the Frankfurt Arena on Monday. It can be called the match of the season as it went down to the wire, bringing a dramatic finish to it. Diogo Costa, the Portugal goalkeeper claimed all the spotlight as he made three brilliant saves in succession to deny Slovenia a ticket to the quarters.
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo also played his part in the win with a successful strike in the penalty shootout, notably after missing a penalty kick in the extra time that left him in tears. Portugal had their chances throughout the game as the game was first tied at zero goals before halftime. A few misses from either of the sides kept them goalless at the end of 90 minutes which called upon the extra-time.
With a deadlock post extra time as well, the first penalties arrived in the ongoing event. It was Josip Ilicic taking the first strike for Slovenia as Costa denied them a goal in their first attempt. Ronaldo then converted his penalty to give advantage to Portugal. The Porto goalie made two more saves while his team scored theirs to clinch the game (3-0). It was Costa’s heroics that changed the complexion of the game and sealed them a quarter-final berth.
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Diogo Costa saves 3️⃣ out of 3️⃣ in the penalty shootout vs Slovenia to send Portugal into the quarter-finals of #EURO2024 🧤 😲#SonySportsNetwork #PORSVN pic.twitter.com/Dov7mmRfXk
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 1, 2024
Portugal’s dream alive
It all got shocking when Ronaldo missed a penalty right before the end of the first half of extra time as Jan Oblak made a terrific save to keep the game deadlocked. There was a similar battle between Costa and Benjamin Sesko as the Portuguese goalie made another save to lead the game into the first penalty shootout of the tournament.
Portugal comfortably outclassed Slovenia in the penalties, courtesy of their scorers undoubtedly and a wonderful Costa who made a hattrick of saves to keep Ronaldo and Portugal’s dream alive. Portugal will now play France in a last-eight clash at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg on Saturday.
Diogo Costa turned out to be the saviour for Portugal as he showcased his exceptional glovework with three back-to-back penalty shootout saves against Slovenia at Euro 2024 to help his side book a quarter-final spot. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
