WATCH: Diogo Costa saves three to take Portugal into quarter-finals

Slovenia had one of their biggest test of the UEFA Euro 2024 as they faced Portugal at the Frankfurt Arena in Frankfurt. The pundits and experts had predicted that it would be an easy win for the UEFA Euro 2016 champions but Slovenia were there in the knockout stages for a reason. 

The first half saw plenty of chances for both the teams but Portugal had some clear cut ones, which they would have rued later on in the game. Joao Palhinha came close in the first half as he scraped the far post in the 45th minute. The game ended in a stalemate after ninety minutes and in the 104th minute of the game, Ronaldo had the chance to put the game to bed. However, Jan Oblak saved the penalty of the former Real Madrid attacker and took the game to penalties.

Diogo Costa’s madness helps Portugal through to the quarter-finals

Diogo Costa saved the first penalty of Josip Ilicic as he dived right of the net. Cristiano Ronaldo came next and even though stuttered, he managed to score. Jure Balkovec stepped up next for Slovenia and that was also saved by Costa as he gave Portugal a big lead in the shoot-out. Manchester United skipped Bruno Fernandes was able to slot him his penalty and it looked all but over for Slovenia with a 2-0 lead with two penalties done for each side.

#PORSVN #PORSLO #EURO2024 #EURO #Portugal #Slovenia #CR7 #Ronaldo



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— Euro 2024 Out Of Context (@Euro24Ooc) July 1, 2024

When everyone thought that Diogo Costa would not do the unthinkable and save his third consecutive penalty, he did so. The unlucky man for Slovenia for the third time in this shoot-out was Benjamin Verbic. Bernardo Silva slotted in the penalty and put Portugal into the quarter-finals. Without a shadow of a doubt, Cristiano Ronaldo has been given a get out of jail card by Diogo Costa. Portugal will now face the mighty French team in less than five days and it will surely be an encounter that will have everyone’s attention.