Goalkeeper Diogo Costa saved all three penalties as Portugal received 3-0 in a shootout in opposition to a courageous Slovenia aspect who had held them to a 0-0 draw after Cristiano Ronaldo’s extra-time miss from the spot in a dramatic Euro 2024 round-of-16 conflict on Monday.
Portugal had the lion’s share of the probabilities, but additionally their goalkeeper to thank for a one-on-one save from Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko as lucky Portugal stumbled right into a quarterfinal assembly with France in Hamburg on Friday.
Costa saved from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbic within the shootout to ship his aspect into the subsequent spherical with a efficiency that lacked spark for probably the most half.
Ronaldo particularly will come underneath the highlight as he wasted a number of alternatives to go along with a penalty miss in further time that left him in a flood of tears and needing to be consoled by teammates.
Portugal had been awarded the spot kick late within the first half of the added interval when Diogo Jota’s storming run into the field was stopped by defender Vanja Drkusic, who had already been booked and was fortunate to not obtain a second yellow card.
They’ve a dependable penalty taker of their crew in Bruno Fernandes however captain Ronaldo elected to take it and his effort was beautifully saved to his left by Slovenia’s Jan Oblak, who pushed the ball onto the put up.
Slovenia’s ways had been restricted and each time that they had a scrap of possession they despatched the ball lengthy to forwards Andraz Sporar and Sesko to try to make one thing of it.
Nevertheless it was a ploy that labored nicely and Sesko had two one-on-one alternatives within the recreation from Pepê errors, however his first was scuffed vast and the second nicely saved by Costa.
The second of these misses will little question hang-out Sesko and when it got here to the stress of the shootout, his aspect wilted within the face of wonderful goalkeeping, a lot to the reduction of Ronaldo.