“Cerberus” epic in Frankfurt Diogo Costa and qualification for the Portugal!
In a thriller match, Slovenia held for 120 minutes the Iberians to zero (0-0 draw and overtime)by Oblak saves Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty kick in the first half of extra time and the goalkeeper of Porto to take back the… blood of his captain in soul-destroying process fending off three penalties by the Slovenians and sending his team to an early final with France in the “8”!
Shocking match with Ronaldo missing opportunities, with his top one 105′ where he saw Oblak save a penalty kick 0-0!
Huge moment for Slovenia to score with him Sesco in the second half of extra time (115′) with Diogo Costa saving his team with his foot and sending the match to penalties.
That’s where the Porto goalkeeper said “no” to Ilicic, Balkovec and Verbicat the moment when Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva “sealed” the qualification with accurate strikes.
For 7th time in their history in the quarter-finals the Portuguese who in a “repeat” of the 2016 final will face France!
The match:
An impetuous Portugal presented itself in the first minutes of the match with constant possession of the ball and constant substitutions. Oblak’s first visit to the frame came in the 4th minute with Fernandez’s cross into the area and Karnicnik’s clearance before Leao became dangerous.
The Iberians continued to have possession and try to break down the Slovenian defense mainly with individual actions at the moment when Keck’s team, mainly with long transfers, tried to get closer to Diogo Costa’s area. Ronaldo looked desperate for the goal however in the 8th minute Bigol caught CR7 before he became dangerous,
In the 13th minute came a good moment for Portugal. Bernardo Silva’s left from the right sent in a sweet cross, but neither Ronaldo nor Fernandes could push the ball into the net. The game turned hard with Ronaldo first and Mendes then on the ground after being tackled.
In the 32nd minute came the biggest moment for Martinez’s team, after Leao won a free-kick in an excellent spot. Ronaldo took over the execution, which he did powerfully, with the ball going just over Oblak’s crossbar.
The first final for Slovenia to get meters on the pitch came in the 44th minute with Cesko picking up the ball and carrying it for a few meters, attempting a shot that was blocked by Costa.
The last chance of the first half came in the second minute of stoppage time and belonged to Portugal. Leao, another drive from the left, laid the ball outside the area to Palinias who shot in, but the ball went just wide.
No changes, but with the same pattern in the second part in Frankfurt and with Portugal taking the lead in the 47th minute. Great effort from Cancelo and a turn from the right, but Bernardo Silva who took the shot missed.
In the 49th minute, Elsnik’s weak shot from the left following a Cerin corner ended up in the arms of Diogo Costa, while five minutes later the Iberians again won a free-kick in a position, excellent for Cristiano Ronaldo. The captain drove hard again, but Oblak was on hand and saved.
Slovenia tried to make strides, but Cancelo’s drives from the right kept the full-backs from getting up, so Kek’s team looked for a counter-attack from the axis.
One such came in the 62nd minute. After clearing the defenders, Cescó burst into the attack with Pepe chasing him, he pressed into the area, but his place was tragic as the ball went wide.
The minutes ticked by with Portugal continuing to press and missing their biggest moment in the 89′! Zota pressured Stankovic, who had crossed earlier in the match, crossed to Ronaldo who went one-on-one with Oblak, but his spot-kick ended up in the arms of the Slovenian keeper.
In fact, this was also the last phase of the match, with both teams going into overtime after a “sterile” 0-0!
With fatigue having brought the footballers to their knees, the match was bad from both sides. Just before the end of the first quarter, however, there was a terrible moment for Portugal with Zota charging into the Slovenia area and overturning with Orsato giving away a penalty! Ronaldo took the ball and executed but Oblak made a great save to keep it 0-0, with CR7 in tears!
In the second half of extra time, Slovenia came close to the… rififi when, due to a mistake by Pepe in the 115th minute, Cesko came “face-to-face” with Diogo Costa and scored, with the Porto goalkeeper keeping the match scoreless by making an impressive save with feet and sending the match to overtime!
The penalty shootout
1st Penalty-Slovenia – Ilicic (Costa surgery)
1st Penalty-Portugal – Cristiano Ronaldo (goal)
2nd Penalty-Slovenia – Balkovec (Costa operation)
2nd Penalty-Portugal – Fernandes (goal)
3rd Penalty-Slovenia – Verbic (Costa intervention)
4th Penalty-Portugal– Bernardo Silva (goal)
MVP: The goalkeepers were the protagonists, dominated by Diogo Costa! The goalkeeper of Porto, not only caught three penalties from the Slovenians, but he was the one who was essentially “credited” with the fact that the match went to “Russian roulette” by making a great intervention in Cesko’s place in the 115′ to keep the 0-0 in the match and Portugal “up”!
The elevens of the match:
Portugal (Roberto Martinez): Diogo Costa, Nuno Mendes, Pepe (117′ Ruben Neves), Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo (117′ Cemento), Joao Palinha, Vitinia (65′ Diogo Zota), Bruno Fernandes, Leao (76′ Conceição), Bernardo Silva, Ronaldo .
Slovenia (Matias Kek): Oblak, Karnicic, Drkusic, Bigol, Balkonec, Elsnik (106′ Ilicic), Cerin, Stojanovic (86′ Verbic), Mlakar (74′ Stankovic), Cesko, Sporar (75′ Celar).
Source: Sport Fm
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