Key events
Ben Fisher was in Frankfurt tonight, and his verdict has landed. Congratulations to Portugal, commiserations to Slovenia, and thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
A few more tears trickle out of the Ronaldo peepers, but of joy this time. Portugal will play France in Hamburg on Friday night. They cavort in front of their fans, relief the top note no doubt. They were pushed all the way by the resolute Slovenians, from whom Benjamin Šeško missed two glorious one-on-one opportunities. Diogo Costa will be the hero, having made those three glorious saves in the penalty shootout, but say what you will about Ronaldo, hats off to him for slotting his kick at the end there. Having been denied by Jan Oblak’s brilliance during extra time, it took serious guts to step up again. Another miss would have been unthinkable, given his heartbroken reaction to the first one. He collapses into Roberto Martinez’s arms, wearing a look of nervous exhaustion; he’s been through the ringer tonight. As have the rest of Portugal, Slovenia, and everyone else in Europe. What a fun, drama-packed game that was. More please, Euro 2024!
RESULT: Portugal 0-0 Slovenia (aet; Portugal win 3-0 on pens)
Cristiano Ronaldo smiling now! Poor old Slovenia, so staunch during the entire match, crumbled in the shootout.
PENALTIES: Portugal 3-0 Slovenia. Bernardo Silva whips into the right-hand side of the net, Oblak goes the wrong way, and Portugal are through! As quickly and as simply as that!
PENALTIES: Portugal 2-0 Slovenia. Josip Iličić goes left. Diogo Costa guesses correctly, and claws away! Shades of the Barcelona fiasco at the 1986 European Cup final here.
PENALTIES: Portugal 2-0 Slovenia. Bruno Fernandes gives Jan Oblak the eyes and, standing bolt upright, flicks a no-effort kick into the bottom left. What class!
PENALTIES: Portugal 1-0 Slovenia. Jure Balkovec opens his body and steers towards the left-hand side of the net. Diogo Costa extends fully and tips around the post. Another excellent save! Slovenia’s penalties haven’t been awful; Diogo Costa has simply been sensational!
PENALTIES: Portugal 1-0 Slovenia. Ronaldo steps up first, and lashes his penalty into the bottom left. Oblak guesses correctly, but can’t reach it. He celebrates with a sheepish prayer, and an apologetic nod and wink to his fans. What pressure! He comes through.
PENALTIES: Portugal 0-0 Slovenia. Josip Iličić whips his penalty towards the bottom right. Diogo Costa, like Jan Oblak before him, makes an outrageous save!
The shootout will take place in front of Portugal’s fans, but Slovenia will go first. Oblak and Diogo Costa shake hands, the goalkeeping union in full effect. Here we go, then!
Jan Oblak does his job as Slovenia’s captain, whipping up his troops with a barely suppressed smile on his face. Cristiano Ronaldo, not so much: Portugal’s skipper is quiet and pensive as others do the talking, no doubt running his penalty miss – no, Jan Oblak’s outrageous save – through his mind again and again. No tears this time, and at least he’ll have the chance to put things right in the shootout.
EXTRA TIME, FULL TIME: Portugal 0-0 Slovenia
No goals, then, but you can’t say the 120-plus minutes haven’t been dramatic and at times wildly entertaining. To penalties!
ET 30 min: Nuno Mendes attempts to latch onto a loose ball on the edge of the Slovenia D. His challenge deflects the ball out for a corner, from which Rúben Neves skies a ludicrous long-distance shot deep into the stand behind. We’re one minute away from penalties.
ET 29 min: Bruno Fernandes attempts to release Nuno Mendes down the left with a shovelled pass, but Oblak comes to the edge of his box to claim.
ET 27 min: That’s Pepe’s race run. João Cancelo is replaced as well. Nélson Semedo and Rúben Neves come on in their stead.
ET 25 min: Pepe, knackered, steps on the ball and falls over, allowing Šeško to steam clear down the middle! Šeško opens his body and aims a side-footed shot towards the bottom right. Diogo Costa sticks out a leg to brilliantly block, then Celar, attempting to lob the rebound over everyone, shanks wildly right of the target. Šeško had to score. What a chance!
ET 24 min: Iličić has the chance to release Karničnik into the Portugal box down the right, but seriously overhits the pass. Goal kick. A great chance to tee up his team-mate spurned. “What a wonderful save by Oblak,” writes Rob Knap. “He used to play in Portugal, saving seven or eight penalties (!) in one season for Rio Ave, many years ago. I still suspect Portugal might nick it, but if it goes to penalties…”
ET 22 min: Iličić flaps a dismal effort straight into the wall.
ET 21 min: Diogo Jota hacks down Verbič, just to the left of the Portugal D. A free kick in a very dangerous position.
ET 20 min: News that Slovenia coach Matjaž Kek was shown a straight red for telling it the way he sees it in the wake of the penalty incident.
ET 18 min: Bruno Fernandes curls the free kick into the mixer. João Palhinha attempts to steer a header into the top left. Oblak comfortably tips it over the bar, and from the resulting corner, is skittled by the frustrated Ronaldo. The pressure is released.
ET 17 min: Balkovec is booked for a brazenly cynical barge on João Cancelo, who had his number out on the right flank.
ET 16 min: Bijol is booked for a late clatter into Diogo Jota. He’ll miss the quarter-final should Slovenia get through.
Slovenia get the second half of extra time underway. They’ve replaced Elšnik with Josip Iličić.
During the break, Ronaldo dissolves into floods of tears. Proper sobbing, real heartbreak. Arms are thrown around his shoulder, though João Palhinha also tells him to snap out of it quicksmart. Which he just about does, just before the match restarts.
EXTRA TIME, HALF TIME: Portugal 0-0 Slovenia
Nothing comes of the resulting corner, and what a dramatic end to the half. Ronaldo already in tears. The thing is, that wasn’t a badly taken penalty, it was a simply sensational save!
Ronaldo misses … no, Oblak saves!
ET 15 min: Ronaldo steers the penalty towards the bottom-right corner … only for Oblak to extend fully and powerfully palm the ball round the post! Ronaldo sickened! But what a save!
ET 14 min: That was a magnificent run by Diogo Jota. Over to Ronaldo, who is made to wait a while as Slovenia surround the referee.
Penalty to Portugal!
ET 13 min: Diogo Jota dribbles down the middle at pace. Past a couple of white shirts and into the box. Drkušić tries to block him, but their legs tangle. The referee thinks about it, but eventually points to the spot!
ET 12 min: Portugal are so slow and ponderous right now. Slovenia look extremely comfortable. But hold on, as I type that …
ET 11 min: Stanković tugs back João Palhinha and goes into the book.
ET 10 min: A Portugal corner on the left. It’s worked short to Bernardo Silva, who floats one in for Francisco Conceição to head straight at Oblak.
ET 8 min: Portugal can’t get anything going. A look of impotent frustration on Bruno Fernandes’ face. Manchester United fans will be able to picture it well.
ET 6 min: Portugal only half-clear the corner, and Stanković, formerly of Huddersfield Town, sends a speculative shot wide right. Speaking of links to the English lower divisions, here’s Kári Tulinius: “Timi Max Elšnik is at Olimpija Ljubljana, and used to play for Swindon, Northampton and Mansfield. He’s been comfortably the best midfielder of the match.”
ET 5 min: João Cancelo miscontrols 30 yards from his own goal, allowing Verbič to race off with the ball. Verbič’s fierce low shot is deflected wide right by Rúben Dias. Corner.
ET 3 min: Elšnik glides past Nuno Mendes down the right, but his cross is no good. All a bit scrappy.
ET 2 min: A quiet start to extra time, so here’s João André on that man: “Back in 2016, someone did the count and Ronaldo went something like 65 free kicks for Portugal without a goal. I think he scored maybe two or three of them since then (albeit one of them being THAT one against Spain at the WC2018). Reality is, he simply is no longer up to scratch. Slow in speed and actions, jumping less and definitely less sharp. Should take Alaba’s function for Austria: non-playing captain.”
Portugal get the first half of extra time underway. No changes.
Roberto Martinez and Matjaž Kek give their teams a pep talk. Or perhaps the what-for. In the meantime, the big topic, the elephant in the room, is addressed by Thomas Atkins: “That Slovenia have been able to stifle the highly fancied Portuguese for 90 minutes begs the question: were England really that bad against them after all? Which in turn begs the answer: Of course they bloody were. Were you not watching?”
FULL TIME: Portugal 0-0 Slovenia
Ronaldo can’t win a header in a crowded box, and it’ll be 30 additional minutes. Penalties possibly too!
90 min +4: Ronaldo forces a corner down the left. One last chance for Portugal to win this in normal time.
90 min +3: Celar is once again found barrelling down the right. He can’t get a shot away and Pepe ushers the ball back to Diogo Costa. The flag pops up for offside anyway.
90 min +2: … Ronaldo fouls Oblak with the keeper in the process of punching clear.
90 min +1: Celar races clear down the right. He should find Šeško clear in the middle, but his low cross is useless. The flag then goes up for offside. Portugal counter through Jota, who wins a corner on the left. Ronaldo waves his arms to encourage the Portuguese fans. In comes the corner, and …
90 min: There will be four added minutes.
89 min: Jota brings the ball down gracefully in the centre circle and is this close to sending Ronaldo clear down the right, but his pass is brilliantly blocked by Balkovec’s telescopic leg. But soon after, Ronaldo is found down the inside-left channel, Jota with the pass again, and enters the box with only Oblak to beat! He shoots … but he doesn’t score, the ball straight at the keeper who nonetheless smothers brilliantly.
88 min: It’s no good. Pepe clears. We are careening towards extra time.
87 min: Šeško is skittled out on the right wing by Pepe. A chance to send a free kick into the Portugal box. Everyone lines up near the D. Čerin to take.
86 min: Benjamin Verbič comes on for Petar Stojanović.
85 min: This is really scrappy now. Neither team prepared to take any chances. “I hope Slovenia get lucky and go through,” writes Daragh Thomas. “Martinez doesn’t deserve to get though for turning one of the most talented squads into a Ronaldo tribute act.”
83 min: Bruno Fernandes crosses to nobody in particular. Bijol heads clear under very little pressure. It’s the Slovenian fans making the most noise right now.
81 min: Nuno Mendes crosses long from the left. Bernardo Silva can’t win a header at the far post. Portugal are running out of ideas.
