France’s history of disappointment in penalty shootouts is finally over, as is Cristiano Ronaldo’s illustrious European Championship career.
In a clash between soccer stars, Kylian Mbappé led France to a semifinal against Spain by defeating Portugal 5-3 in a shootout after a goalless draw on Friday.
Portugal’s Joao Felix hit the post with the only miss in the shootout, while Theo Hernández calmly sealed the win by scoring into the top corner.
This tournament marked Ronaldo’s sixth and final European Championship at age 39. He scored Portugal’s first penalty and later consoled his teammate Pepe, who was visibly emotional after the match.
“We have to process this painful moment of defeat,” Pepe said.
Ronaldo’s Euro career spanned 20 years, including winning the title in 2016 against France. Whether he will continue playing for Portugal up to the 2026 World Cup remains uncertain.
“Everything is too raw right now,” said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez about Ronaldo’s future.
For Mbappé and France, this victory in the shootout ends a series of heartbreaking losses in previous tournaments, including Euro 2021 and the 2022 World Cup final.
Before this win, France had not won a shootout since defeating Italy in the quarterfinals of the 1998 World Cup, a span of 26 years.
Mbappé did not participate in the penalty shootout this time. He was substituted during halftime of extra time due to some knocks and wore a protective mask over his broken nose. France coach Didier Deschamps mentioned that Mbappé was also feeling tired.
Despite missing their star player, Ousmane Dembele, Youssouf Fofana, Jules Kounde, and Bradley Barcola all scored in the shootout, held at the end of the stadium where Portugal’s passionate fans were located. Theo Hernández’s decisive penalty sealed the victory for France, sparking celebrations among their fans in the stadium.
“It was a tough game,” remarked France goalkeeper Mike Maignan. “We didn’t always play our best, and things were complicated. But we stayed strong during the penalty shootout and can be proud of our performance.”
France will face Spain in the semifinals after Spain’s victory over Germany earlier on Friday. This keeps France on track for a third European Championship title, following their triumphs in 1984 and 2000.
Deschamps’ team has reached the semifinals without any player scoring from open play in the tournament so far. However, their defense has been outstanding, conceding only one goal — a retaken penalty by Poland’s Robert Lewandowski in the group stage.
“We have shown solidity and discipline in defense, which is crucial in a major tournament,” Deschamps noted. “When you don’t score many goals, it’s important not to concede many either. But we need to find ways to score more goals because we are at the mercy of our opponents.”
Portugal exited the tournament without scoring in their knockout matches, including a penalty shootout win against Slovenia in the round of 16, and their final group match. Coach Roberto Martinez expressed disappointment, saying, “We deserved to win from our perspective. But we were playing against some of the best players in Europe. It’s a sad night for us.”
