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Portugal overcame Slovenia 3-0 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes in their round of 16 clash at UEFA Euro 2024 on Monday, July 1. They progress to the quarter-finals where they will face France On July 5.
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Portugal made a positive start to the contest and dominated possession of the ball as they looked to push Slovenia on the back foot. They passed the ball around with confidence and players swarmed in to retrieve the ball in case of lost possession. They attempted multiple shots in the first half, with Cristiano Ronaldo's missed free-kick being the first major attempt.
Rafael Leao showed great athleticism and agility on the left flank to earn that free-kick, and continued making darting runs at Slovenia's backline. Matjaz Kek's men had two attempts in the first half, with one on target. Portugal, on the other hand, failed to hit the target with five attempts. Joao Palhinha attempted a driven effort with the last action of the first period but the ball hit the post and went out of play.
Portugal and Slovenia were deadlocked at 0-0 at half-time.
The second half was a similar story in terms of flow of the game as Portugal dictated terms. Joao Cancelo began to venture further forward and caused Slovenia's defence a bunch of problems and also created some good chances to score. Portugal attempted eight shots in the second period but were unable to break the deadlock as Jan Oblak was rock solid in Slovenia's goal.
The game headed towards extra-time with the teams still inseparable at 0-0 after 90 minutes. The first half began in rather uneventful fashion but ended with a stunning save by Oblak. Vanja Drkusic conceded a penalty after a foul on Diogo Jota and Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take it, but saw his shot saved by the Slovenian captain.
The second half of extra-time saw Benjamin Sesko presented with a wonderful opportunity to win the game. Pepe made a mistake and gave the ball away as Sesko found himself one on one with Diogo Costa, but fired his shot straight at his body. With the teams still tied at 0-0 after 120 minutes, the game headed to penalties.
Josip Ilicic saw his shot saved by Costa and Ronaldo redeemed himself to give Portugal a 1-0 lead in the shoot-out. Costa made two more saves and Bernardo Silva secured victory after scoring his team's third penalty to take them through.
On that note, here are the Seleccao's player ratings.
Portugal Player Ratings
Diogo Costa - 8.5/10
Costa made just two regulation saves in 120 minutes but saves three penalties on the bounce to win the game for his team.
Joao Cancelo - 8/10
Cancelo took full liberty to venture forward and help his teammates make inroads into Slovenia's lines. He completed six dribbles, won an incredible 14 duels and played one cross. Cancelo also made five clearances and four tackles.
Ruben Dias - 7.5/10
Dias was solid in defence as he won five duels, making three clearances, two blocks and one interception. He also attempted one shot that was off-target.
Pepe - 7/10
Pepe had a decent game except for an error in the second half of extra-time that nearly proved costly. He won nine duels, making nine clearances and three interceptions.
Nuno Mendes - 7.5/10
Mendes had a decent game and made darting runs forward when the opportunity presented itself. He won 10 duels, making five clearances, one interception and one tackle. He also completed five dribbles and played one key pass.
Vitinha - 7/10
Vitinha had a decent game in the middle of the park for Portugal as he passed the ball with 98% accuracy but saw all three of his shots blocked.
Joao Palhinha - 8.5/10
Palhinha was rock solid in central midfield as he won a game-high 19 duels, making nine tackles, four interceptions and two clearances. He also hit the left upright with the last action of the first half in regular time.
Bernardo Silva - 7.5/10
Silva had a decent game as he passed the ball with 95% accuracy, including one key pass. He also won three duels and converted his spot-kick in the shoot-out.
Bruno Fernandes - 7.5/10
Fernandes had a good game as he passed the ball with 76% accuracy, including four key passes and five crosses. He also won four duels and made three tackles and scored in the shoot-out.
Rafael Leao - 7/10
Leao made an electric start to the game and willingly took on Slovenia's defenders to put Portugal in great attacking situations. He won six duels, completed four dribbles and played two key passes in a decent performance.
Cristiano Ronaldo - 7/10
Ronaldo tried to roll back the years with a thunderous free-kick in the first period that was narrowly wide. He attempted eight shots including a penalty in the 120 minutes but failed to score. However, he redeemed himself by scoring in the shoot-out.
Substitutes
Diogo Jota - 7.5/10
Jota had a good impact on the game for Portugal. He won six duels, played one key pass and also won the team a penalty in the first half of extra-time.
Francisco Conceicao - 7/10
He looked sharp after coming on as he completed three dribbles, won three duels and made one key pass.
Nelson Semedo & Ruben Neves - N/A
The pair came on late in the game and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
