• Wednesday, 25 December 2024

Costa the hero after Ronaldo miss as Portugal into Euros quarters

Costa the hero after Ronaldo miss as Portugal into Euros quarters

Frankfurt, 2 July 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Diogo Costa saved all three penalties as Portugal beat Slovenia 3-0 in a last 16 shoot-out at Euro 2024 after superstar Cristiano had missed from the spot in extra time on Monday.

Ronaldo was in tears after having a 105th-minute penalty saved by Jan Oblak, who as Atletico Madrid player knows Ronaldo well from his days at Atletico Madrid.

It was the culmination of frustration for the superstar who also failed to convert on three free-kicks as the score remained 0-0 after 120 minutes.

But he then stepped up again to convert in the deciding shoot-out along with Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, while Costa saved the three from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbic.

Costa had also thwarted a golden opportunity from Benjamin Sesko as Portugal had a lucky escape into the quarter-finals where they face France who edged Belgium 1-0 earlier in the day. Portugal beat France in the 2016 final.

Slovenia leave the tournament with four draws in open play after offering stiff resistance in their first ever knock-out match.

Photo: UEFA EURO 2024