In the early morning of July 2, Beijing time, Portugal vs. Slovenia in the 1/8 finals of the knockout stage of the European Cup, Slovenia ranked 57th in the world, with a total value of only 140 million euros, a proper third-rate "weak team", Portugal ranked 6th in the world, and the whole team was worth more than 1 billion euros.
Portugal had a strong first three rounds, winning six points early to secure the top spot, and it was no surprise that they lost in the final round as a substitute, but Georgia's 12-game winning streak was ended by Georgia, and two counter-attacking goals conceded also made coach Martinez find a flaw in defence. Slovenia's performance in the first three games was impressive, although they won three points in a row to qualify, but the team's defensive resilience was extremely strong, successfully withstood the fierce attack of three higher-ranked teams, played the characteristics of "strong is not weak", and was fully capable of creating surprises in this game. The two teams have only met once in their history, with Portugal losing 2-0 in a friendly in March this year.
Portugal returned to the 433 starting line-up of the main team, Cristiano Ronaldo continued to lead the luxury attacking line, his experience and determination are the biggest reliance on the attacking end, Leao and B are on the wings with both speed and skill, and B Fei provides support in midfield. Cristiano Ronaldo has played 20 consecutive European Championship matches, setting a new record in tournament history. Slovenia's starting lineup has not changed much, left-back Janza has been suspended and forced to adjust, the team continues to use the 442 formation, focusing on defensive counterattacks, and the combination of Sporal and Sesko with strong speed and strength will cause a lot of problems for the Portuguese defense on the counterattack.
In the opening stage, Portugal quickly entered the state to suppress the attack, Leao received a cross from the right side to outflank the cushion shot in front of the goal and was cleared, Dias hit the side net after a corner kick opportunity, Ronaldo stepped into the penalty area to stop the ball unsteadily and fell, and then bummerled the ball to get rid of Xiuhuahuo, Portugal made a series of dangers in the first 6 minutes, and it seemed that the goal would come soon. The Slovenian defense is solid, but it is not blindly defending, and it can also be resolute and fast to seize the opportunity to counterattack.
Portugal's flank is very resolute, B seat consecutive 45-degree crosses on the right side, Ronaldo twice outflanked the top but failed to top, and finally received Cancelo's connection to grab the point successfully and was stopped by the opponent's goalkeeper, the mentality of the historical goalscorer Wang eager to score is overflowing. In the 34th minute, Leao was brought down in front of the penalty area and won a free kick, and Ronaldo took the penalty slightly over the crossbar. Vitinha fed the ball again from the left, Ronaldo couldn't get a little angry in front of the small penalty area, and then the set-piece from the left side shot straight wide. The first half became Ronaldo's shooting performance.
Slovenia are already familiar with the opponent's attacking routines, the pressure on the flanks and the middle can be given, and taking advantage of the opponent's loose defense to grasp the transition to create a threat, Sheshko's sports shot outside the box was blocked, and Sporal was cleared by Pepe in the middle. Just before half-time, Parinha fired a powerful low shot from the top of the arc that grazed the goal. The two teams were tied 0-0 at half-time, with Portugal having 66% possession and 0 shots on target from 5 attempts, while Slovenia had 2 shots and 1 on target.
In the second half, Slovenia's defence became more solid, effectively limiting the opponent's side-to-center combination tactics. Portugal's strong attack on the wing is not strong, but it can still continue to create danger from set-pieces. In the 54th minute, Ronaldo's free kick hit the goal vigorously, but the angle was too positive, and Oblak blocked the ball with both hands on the spot. In the 60th minute, Slovenia's fast attack was extremely sharp, Seshko forced the ball past the old Pepe and rushed into the penalty area to form a one-on-one momentum, but the last low shot missed the goal and missed a great chance to score. In the 89th minute, Jota sent the ball into the penalty area with a direct pass from the left, and Ronaldo stepped forward and shot hard but was saved by Oblak. The two teams drew 0-0 in normal time, with Portugal having 72% possession and 3 of 14 shots on target and Slovenia having 1 of 5 shots on target.
Soon after the start of extra time, Cancelo gave the opponent a chance by stopping the ball at the back, and Welbich made a steal to the top of the arc and fired a long shot that was blocked. In the 103rd minute, Jota rushed into the penalty area after passing three people and was tripped down, the referee gave a penalty, Ronaldo kicked to the right side of the goal and failed to deceive the opponent, Oblak accurately predicted that Feishen saved the penalty, Ronaldo cried bitterly at halftime, and his teammates stepped forward to comfort. Slovenia's pressing up front caused Pepe to make a mistake, and Sesque grabbed the ball and the ball was blocked by Costa with his legs. Both teams missed great scoring opportunities. Extra time ended with a 0-0 draw.
In the penalty shootout, Ronaldo, B Fei and B Fei scored all three rounds of penalty shots, Costa saved three penalties in a row, and finally Portugal defeated Slovenia 3-0 on aggregate, and the team advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Championship for the eighth time in history.