'Mbappe vs Ronaldo, Mbappe wins!' France wins Portugal after penalty shootout 'Moving to the semifinals'...The end of "Ronaldo's Last Dance"

Jul 06, 2024

Kylian Mbappe laughed in a showdown between Europe's 'new soccer emperors'. Cristiano Ronaldo's last dance ended in tears. France won the Euro 2024 quarterfinals against Portugal at 4 a.m. on the 6th (Korea Standard Time) after a penalty shootout after finishing 120 minutes 0-0 at the Folksparckstadion in Hamburg, Germany. This quarterfinal was a preview final and attracted a lot of attention. In particular, the match between Mbappe and Ronaldo drew attention, but both players remained silent, contrary to expectations. France won after a penalty shootout and made it to the semifinals.

Photo capture-Euro 2024 SNS

Kylian Mbappe laughed in the Europe 'New Soccer Emperor' contest. Cristiano Ronaldo's last dance ended in tears.

France won the Euro 2024 quarterfinals against Portugal at 4 a.m. on the 6th (Korea Standard Time) after a penalty shootout after finishing 120 minutes 0-0 at the Folksparckstadion in Hamburg, Germany. This quarterfinal was a preview final and attracted a lot of attention. In particular, the match between Mbappe and Ronaldo drew attention, but both players remained silent, contrary to expectations. France won after a penalty shootout and made it to the semifinals. France advanced to the semifinals with a solid defense that gave up only one goal in the five games of this tournament. France won 1-0 against Austria in the group stage, 0-0 with the Netherlands, and a 1-1 draw with Poland. In the round of 16, the team won 1-0 against Belgium. France will play Spain in the semifinals.

Portugal packed in the quarterfinals. Ronaldo had to finish the final Euro tournament bitterly. In an interview with his country's media, Ronaldo said "My last euro without a doubt" However, he ended the game scoreless. Ronaldo made his sixth consecutive appearance at the Euros for the first time in history, but failed to score consecutive goals. However, Ronaldo gave an assist in the second game against Turkey, recording his eighth career assist in the Euro tournament. 2 assists in Euro 2004, 1 assist in Euro 2008 and 3 assists in Euro 2016. Ronaldo, who had one assist at Euro 2020 and one assist at Euro 2024, tied for the most assists at the Euro tournament ever with Karel Povorski (Czech Republic, eight). Ronaldo, who already has the record for the most goals scored in the tournament with 14 goals, once again announced that he is a legend in the Euro tournament by ranking first in the help category. However, the defeat faded the day.

France put up a 4-4-2 card. Mbappe and Randal Kolo Moani made it to the top. Antoine Griezmann stepped up as an attacking midfielder, while Edouard Camavinga, Orelio Chouameni and N'Golo Kante made the waistline. Theo Hernandez-William Saliba-Dayo Upamecano-Jul Kounde made a four-back. Mike Maenang defended the goal.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez fought back 4-3-3. Hafar Real, Ronaldo and Bernardu Silva made a three-top. Bruno Fernandes-Vitinya-Juang Palinha stood on the waistline. Nunu Mendes-Hubeng Dias-Pepe-Juan Cancelo made up the four-bag. Diogo Costa wore goalkeeper gloves.

There was a tense flow from the beginning. Portugal opened the door. In the 16th minute of the first half, Fernandez hit a right footed shot from outside the penalty box. I got hit by Saliba and went out. France also fought back. 20 min Hernandez tries a powerful left-footed mid-range shot. Goalkeeper Costa saved. France targeted Portugal with Mbappe's fast speed. In the 28th minute, Mbappe, who received a pass from Kante, tore down the back space of Portugal. Mbappe's pass was connected to Griezmann, and Griezmann's shot coincidentally came off Kante.

42 min Portugal got a free kick in a good position. Fernandes kicked, not Ronaldo. But it went a little off the post. In the end, the first half ended 0-0.

The start of the second half began with France's shot. In the fourth minute of the second half, Mbappe penetrated to a good position after a 2-1 pass. I tried a simple shot. I got Costa in my arms. Portugal also fought back. Sixteen minutes, Cancelo's sensational pass connected to Fernandes. Today's shot was blocked by goalkeeper Menang. Portugal continued to gain momentum. Later, Cancelo, who received Fernandez's pass, attempted a left-footed shot. It's off the mark.

18 min Portugal created another good chance. 18 min Lean scored a low cross from the left side. Vitinha shot as he was inundated. The Menang goalkeeper saved. Ronaldo shot the ball with his back foot. Again, goalkeeper Menang blocked it. France, which has overcome the crisis, has a decisive opportunity. 21 min Colo Moani fired a good shot from inside the box. Díaz saved it with a tackle.

22 min France made a difference first. Except for Griezmann, I added Ustroman Dembele. Dembele, who was replaced in the 25th minute, scored a sharp cross. Camavinga had a chance, but the shot missed the left. 29 min Portugal change two. Except for Cancelo and Fernandes, Nelson Semedo and Francisco Concei added. France also added Marcus Thurang in the 41st minute instead of Colo Muani.

France missed a good opportunity at the end of the second half. 43 min Kante tried to shoot in front of the penalty box. It was in front of the goalkeeper. I put Huven Neves instead of Portugal selling. Mbappe shot in the third minute of extra time in the second half, but goalkeeper Costa caught it leisurely. In the end, the game went to extra time.

France put Yusuf Fofana in place of Camavinga at the start of the extra period. Ronaldo had a chance for the first time in a long time. In the third minute of the first half of extra time, Consei-sang broke down to the right side and attempted a cutback. Ronaldo finished, but it was a big break. Portugal came forward aggressively. In the 12th minute of the first half of extra time, Leão hit a right foot shot in the penalty box. I got caught in defense. The first half of extra time also ended without a goal.

Both teams made changes in the second half of the extra period. France put in Bradley Barcola without Mbappe, while Portugal put in João Felix instead of Leão. Portugal missed a decisive opportunity in the third minute of the second half of extra time. Consei-sang crossed from the right side. Felix finished with his head as he was inundated. I hit the side net. France also fought back. In the 9th minute of the second half of extra time, Barcola broke through the left side and entered. Attempted left footed shot in the box. It's a long way off. Portugal put Matheus Nunes in place of Vitinha just before the end. Portugal aimed to score until the end. Mendes, who received Silva's pass in the 15th minute of the second half of extra time, hit a shot. The goalkeeper saved it.

It eventually led to a penalty shootout. Joy and sorrow were divided at the third kicker. Kounde cut the net, but Felix hit the net. The game ended with Portugal's defeat as the rest of the kickers all succeeded.

Portugal was absolutely dominant with 63 to 37, but France was dominant with 20 to 15 shooting. The number of effective shots also led by five to four. Dembele was selected as the best player by the UEFA technical committee after the game. Dembele said "We practiced the shootout and were confident we would win. We learned a lot from this experience, and we learned a lot from losing to Argentina in the last Qatar World Cup final. We deserved to win"I laughed.

"It was a tight game with a lot of tension," the winning coach, Didier Deschamps, said. There was also a feeling of fatigue. The game was decided in the smallest detail. I'm satisfied with our players. We pushed our limits, and the strong side won." Then "Now we're going to the semifinals. I'm used to it, but I shouldn't take it for granted. I'm happy to reach the quarterfinals and now I'm going to win the championship." Martinez, who lost, said "We played well and created a lot of chances. I am proud of the players and showed great characters. We had more balls. We deserved to win, it's a sad moment, but the players should be very proud of themselves."

vanbasten@sportschosun.com

'Mbappe vs Ronaldo, Mbappe wins!' France wins Portugal after penalty shootout 'Moving to the semifinals'...The end of "Ronaldo's Last Dance"

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