On the passionate night of July 2nd, Portugal and Slovenia faced off for a place in the last eight of the Euro 2024 knockout stage in a thrilling 1/8 final. The atmosphere in the stadium was tense and passionate under the summer sunshine of the Iberian Peninsula, and the cheers of the fans from both sides added to the momentum of the clash.
At the start of the game, Portugal showed a strong desire to win, and the captain Crow was the first to take the lead, constantly looking for opportunities in front of the field. In the first half, Crowe's free kick became the most eye-catching highlights on the field, his precise footwork so that the ball in the air to draw a wonderful arc, straight to the dead corner of the Slovenian goal, although the opposing goalkeeper struggled to pounce, but this foot is still let the whole stadium for the shock, heralding the extraordinary performance of the Portuguese team tonight.
However, the Slovenian team is not an idle one, they are solid in defense at the same time, but also through rapid counterattacks to threaten the goal of the Portuguese team. In the second half, a breakthrough by the young striker Cesc was particularly stunning. With his excellent speed and skill in carrying the ball, he almost tore apart the Portuguese defense, but unfortunately, the final shot was deflected by the goalkeeper, and he missed a good opportunity to rewrite the score.
With the end of regulation time, the 0-0 scoreline meant that the match would go into a more brutal overtime period. In the first half of extra time, Portugal finally turned the corner when Jota was tripped by an opponent's defender in the penalty area and the referee decisively awarded a penalty kick. At the crucial moment, Crowe stepped up, but unfortunately, his penalty kick was valiantly parried by Slovenian goalkeeper Oblak, missing the perfect opportunity to break the deadlock.
In the second half of overtime, both teams were losing fitness, but the game became more and more intense. Portugal's veteran Pepe made a fatal mistake in a defense, giving Cesc a chance to go one-on-one, but Lady Luck didn't favor Slovenia, and their shot was also parried by the Portuguese goalkeeper, bringing the two sides back to the same starting line.
In the end, the match could only be decided through a penalty shootout. Portugal's goalkeeper Costa became the hero of the match, as he saved the first three penalties of Slovenia in a row, laying a solid foundation for Portugal to seal the victory. Afterwards, the three penalty kickers of the Portuguese team hit the ball firmly, and beat the Slovenian team with a total score of 3-0, successfully advancing to the last eight.
