It took a penalty shootout to decide the winner, and Diogo Costa's heroics ensured Portugal's spot in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals. Relive the action with our detailed Portugal vs. Slovenia stats page.
Portugal narrowly made it to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals after a tough battle with Slovenia led to a penalty shootout. Diogo Costa's incredible saves during the shootout were crucial for Portugal's victory.
Costa made history by saving all three of Slovenia's penalties in the shootout, becoming the first in Euros history to achieve such a feat. Portugal now prepares to face France in Hamburg on Friday.
Despite the tension, especially during extra time and the penalty shootout, this match wasn't among the most thrilling of Euro 2024.
Slovenia, participating in their first-ever tournament knockout game, expected to have minimal possession and focused on defense. They managed only 27.9% possession but effectively frustrated Portugal.
With young striker Benjamin Sesko leading the attack, Slovenia posed a counter-attack threat, highlighted by Sesko's solo effort that missed the goal.
In the 90 minutes of regulation time, Portugal only managed three shots on target, with an expected goals total of 0.91. Slovenia's defense was outstanding, consistently blocking Portugal's predictable wide crosses.
Portugal attempted 31 crosses in open play, significantly more than any other team in the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a chance to become the oldest scorer in European Championship history when Diogo Jota won a penalty in the 105th minute. However, Slovenian captain Jan Oblak made a fantastic save to deny Ronaldo, leaving him in tears and needing consolation from his teammates.
Ronaldo's performance highlighted his struggles, taking eight shots without scoring. Over his last 11 tournament appearances, he's scored only three goals, all from penalties, and none from open play in 37 attempts.
Despite leading Euro 2024 in shots (20), he has yet to score. He will have at least one more opportunity against France unless coach Roberto Martínez decides to make a change.
Gonçalo Ramos, who replaced Ronaldo and scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup, has scored 30 goals for club and country since that game but has played only 24 minutes in Euro 2024.
Costa's heroics continued in the shootout, saving penalties from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec, and Benjamin Verbic, securing Portugal's victory. Remarkably, he made more saves in the shootout (3) than in the 120 minutes of play (2).
Roberto Martínez, who previously managed Belgium's golden generation without significant success, found luck on his side tonight. However, Portugal will need a better performance against France in the next round.
Explore all the stats from the Portugal vs. Slovenia match, including team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, and more in our Opta match center. You can find comprehensive game statistics below the match center.