Portugal and France will engage in a highly anticipated encounter during the quarterfinals of the European Championship on Friday. This match will witness a captivating face-off between two of the most prominent figures in contemporary football: Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé.
The winner will face either Spain or the host nation,
Germany, in the semi-finals. The match will commence at 21:00 local time (19:00
GMT) in Hamburg.
Here are important details regarding the match:
Match facts
It is a highly anticipated match between two of the
pre-tournament favorites, however, neither team has demonstrated convincing
performances thus far. Portugal has failed to score in their last two matches,
suffering a 2-0 defeat against Georgia and a goalless draw with Slovenia, only
advancing through a penalty shootout. On the other hand, France has not had any
players score from open play throughout Euro 2024, relying on two own-goals and
a penalty from Mbappé for their goals.
Ronaldo was visibly emotional after his penalty kick was
saved during extra time in the match against Slovenia. Despite participating in
his sixth European Championship, he has not yet scored a goal. If he were to
score, the 39-year-old striker would become the oldest player to score in the
tournament’s history.
Mbappé will once again be donning a protective mask due to a
fractured nasal bone sustained during France’s inaugural group match against
Austria. Following the team’s victory over Belgium in the round of 16, French
coach Didier Deschamps indicated that Mbappé may need to wear the mask for an
extended period, potentially lasting several months.
The match will transpire precisely 18 years after the
aforementioned nations’ encounter during the 2006 World Cup semifinals, wherein
Zinedine Zidane successfully executed a penalty kick, resulting in the winning
goal. Ronaldo participated in the entirety of the match, while Lilian Thuram,
whose son, Marcus, has a high probability of being featured for France in
Hamburg, was recognized as the most outstanding player.
Team news
The French midfielder, Adrien Rabiot, is currently suspended
due to the accumulation of two yellow cards. As a result, there is a high
probability that Antoine Griezmann will be repositioned to central midfield to
compensate for Rabiot’s absence. Consequently, Ousmane Dembele may potentially
be introduced into the forward line.
There are no reported injury concerns for the Portugal team.
All 26 players in the squad participated in Wednesday’s training session.
Additionally, there are no player suspensions.
Four French players, including Mbappé, and six Portuguese
players, including Ronaldo, risk suspension in the semifinals if they receive
another caution.
By the numbers
France has conceded only one goal in the Euro 2024
tournament. The goal was scored by Polish striker Robert Lewandowski through a
retaken penalty. Lewandowski’s initial attempt was saved by French goalkeeper
Mike Maignan, but the goal was allowed after Maignan was deemed to have come
off his line too early.
The 25-year-old Mbappé has achieved 48 goals for France. He
has a significant gap to bridge in order to surpass Ronaldo, who holds the men’s
record of 130 international goals.
The two teams are set to meet for the third time in a row at
the European Championship. In the 2021 tournament, they tied 2-2 in the group
stage, with Ronaldo scoring two penalties. Portugal then went on to win the
final 1-0 in 2016.
The esteemed footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is poised to
make a remarkable 212th appearance for the Portuguese national team,
has unfortunately not managed to score a goal despite attempting 20 shots
during the ongoing Euro 2024 tournament.
What they’re saying
“Let’s face it, we’re lacking in that area.” — France
assistant coach Guy Stephan on the team’s problems in front of goal.
“This is Ronaldo’s last Euro. We’ve got everything we need
to give him this gift and we’re going to do everything we can.” — Portugal left
back Nuno Mendes.
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