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| Portugal and France will slug it out at the quarter finals of the ongoing Euro championships, it's going to be fiesty, who is your money on? (Photo credit: Goal) |
Cristiano Ronaldo, the god of agelessness, durable and enduring, 39 and buzzing, up against his mentee, one who took him as his hero even in the presence of the Argentine King, it’s Portugal vs France, Ronaldo vs Kylian Mbappe.
Like the earlier game at the MHPA Stadium between Germany and Spain, another potential cup final is going down at the Volks Park Stadium. It’s a mega fixture between 2016 champions Portugal and the team they beat in extra time to achieve this long-awaited feat.
How did they get to the quarterfinals? Portugal left it late against the Czech Republic in their opening group stage game, scoring two late goals to win the game 2-1 before clinically destroying Turkey 3-0 to qualify for the next round. Although they suffered defeat against Georgia, the next game tested them more.
If the unexpected loss to Georgia hadn't forewarned them, they were indeed taken aback by Slovenia, who dominated the game and unfortunately lost it on penalties. Cristiano Ronaldo missed the spot in extra time but was clinical during the shootout. Diogo Costa was the hero of the night with three penalty shootout saves.
In this tournament, France has yet to truly excite anyone. Their current advantage stems from their past achievements. You will respect them regardless of their form, having been Euro finalists in 2016, World Cup winners in 2018, Nations League champions in 2020, and World Cup finalists in 2022.
In this tournament, France has yet to score a goal of their own in open play, and how strange can that be? Le Bleus defeated Austria with an own goal, settled for a goalless draw against Oranje, and were fortunate to have Xavi Simmons' goal disallowed by VAR.
Kolo Mbappe scored from the spot to hand them a 1-0 lead in their final group match against Poland, which they eventually drew. Randall Kolo Moani came off the bench to fire on goal in their round of 16 clash against Belgium, but it went in off Jan Vertonghen, another own goal.
This game will be keenly contested. The two teams have strong defences, with Portugal fielding two men around 40 years of age in Ronaldo and Pepe in attack and defence. Can France make them sweat, or will their vast experience tell again?
On Friday, Diogo Costa and Mike Maignon, who have both excelled in this tournament, will once again put their skills to the test. Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes are going to be key for Portugal, while Mbappe and the French Rolls Royce, William Saliba, will be important. We can’t wait.