Macdara Ferris reports from the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg
A dour 0-0 affair did at least have the drama of a shoot-out at the end as France secured a place in the semi-final of EURO 2024 where they will play Spain after a peerless penalty shootout 5-3 win against Portugal.
A massive cheer went up from the Portugal fans when they saw the shootout would be at their end of the ground but France had the advantage of going first in the shoot-out and they made the most of that.
Player of the match substitute Ousmane Dembele took and scored the first. Ronaldo took the second one for his team and he did slot this one away - unlike in the last 16 match - but crucially Joao Felix hit Portugal's third against the post.
All the others scored so when Theo Hernandez slotted his home, France were the winners but not really deserved victors over the balance of the 120 minutes.
The Conservatives may have been routed in the UK election but Didier Deschamps’ style of conservatism prevailed on this occasion – they only had 37% of the play. His shootout men couldn’t be faulted when they stepped up and so France move on.
All the talk in the buildup to this quarter-final was Ronaldo v Mbappe and all the drama in the buildup just prior to kickoff was what was happening in Stuttgart as the earlier Germany and Spain game went to extra-time.
When the tournament hosts scored the late equalizer the celebrations from the home support watching on from their phones or in the bars inside the stadium could be heard in the media centre below the main stand.
There was disappointment for those home fans though as Spain got the extra-time win and there was disappointment with the game that they were able to watch played out live in front of them.
Portugal had the better of the play and the lion’s share of possession. It wasn’t quite that Roberto Martinez’s men were playing chess against Didier Deschamps’ checkers.
It was more a case that both teams were playing patience as they played the ball around probing for weakness. And as we know that card game isn’t exactly a great spectator sport now is it.
There were flashes from Mbappe and more shoulder shrugging than anything else from Ronaldo. Rafael Leao was the best on show in the opening 45 – his backheel nutmeg was the highlight of the half.
Portugal racked up five first half corners – one of them from a dreadful error as Mike Maignan allowed the ball roll under his foot - but the Seleção couldn’t make any of them count. It was France who probably went closest to getting the opener in the first 45.
Theo Hernandez stung Maignan’s gloves in the 20th minute with a well struck shot. Bruno had gone close a few minutes prior to that when his shot from distance clipped William Saliba on the way towards goal.
Diogo Costa had to push out a deflected Mbappe cross and when, just before the break, a loose Kolo Muani touch forced him to take down Vitinhna down near the box, we knew what was coming.
The resulting freekick was blasted wide of goal – the only surprise was the miss was from the boot of Bruno Fernandes who incredibly was allowed to take the free by Cristiano Ronaldo.
We got no changes of personnel on the pitch at half time but we were hoping we’d soon see a change in the tempo and drama of the game. It didn’t happen for some time.
When Mbappe getting a ball headed into his face and referee Michael Oliver’s yellow card slipping out of his back pocket became noteworthy items from the first ten minutes of the second period we knew things hadn’t got much better.
Thankfully the Portuguese fans were in fine voice and what was being played out down on the park below at least had a decent drumbeat soundtrack to accompany the ‘football’.
And then things did finally liven up just after the hour mark as space maybe opened up in what was the fifth match of the tournament for most players – it was also Ronaldo’s 30th game in a European Championship tournament.
Joao Cancelo fed Fernandes whose low right foot shot brought the best from Maignan diving low to his right. Moments later Cancelo curled an effort just wide of the French goal.
A sweeping move ended with Vitinha blasting the ball straight at Maignan from the edge of the area as Portuguese pressure began to build and build.
A rampaging Kolo Muani run from deep looked like it would break the deadlock only for a Ruben Dias sliding block to do enough just to take the ball by the frame of the goal.
The ineffectual Griezmann was withdrawn in the 67th minute for the first change of the match with Ousmane Dembele coming on in his place. The PSG man added some drive and soon after his arrival his cut back fell to Camavinga in the six yard box whose shot only just went the wrong side of the post.
It looked like sub Marcus Thuram would outsprint Pepe from inside his own half in second half injury time but the wily 41-year-old did enough to prevent him even if he did concede a corner. Mbappe had one final shot before the whistle went and so we faced into another 30 minutes.
Ronaldo skied over a chance early in the first period of extra-time which was pretty much played at pedestrian pace as France sat off as if waiting for penalty kicks. This seemed a strange approach when they were due to face Diogo Costa who had saved three in the shoot-out in the last round.
Mbappe was withdrawn between the two 15 minute periods of extra-time but amazingly Ronaldo stayed out there. Joao Felix did come on in place of Leão and he hit the side netting with a header moments after making it out onto the pitch.
Sub Nuno Mendes brought on with a minute to go had one final chance for Portugal to get the winner only to hit the ball straight at Maignan.
We went to penalties and the Felix miss proved crucial. Portugal exit and France move on but with very little plaudits. You expect Spain can take them apart in next week’s semi-final.
Portugal: Diogo Costa; João Cancelo (Nelson Semedo 74), Pepe, Rúben Dias, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha (Matheus Nunes 119), João Palhinha (Rúben Neves 90+2), Bruno Fernandes (Francisco Conceição 74), Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo ©, Rafael Leão (Joao Felix 106);
Subs not used: Rui Patricio, José Sá, Diogo Dalot, Goncalo Inácio, Antonio Silva, Danilo, João Neves, Pedro Neto, Diogo Jota, Goncalo Ramos.
Booked: João Palhinha (79).
France: Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez; N'Golo Kanté, Aurélien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga (Youssouf Fofana 91); Antoine Griezmann (Ousmane Dembele 67); Randal Kolo Muani (Marcus Thuram 86), Kylian Mbappe © (Bradley Barcola 106).
Subs not used: Brice Samba, Alphonse Areola, Ferland Mendy, Ibrahima Konaté, Jonathan Clauss, Benjamin Pavard, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Olivier Giroud, Kingsley Coman, Booked: William Saliba (84).
Sent off: None.
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
extratime.com Player of the Match: Ousmane Dembele (France)
