Portugal Advances Thanks to Diogo Costa Three Penalty Saves

Ronaldo and his teammates in the Portuguese national team missed many clear opportunities against Slovenia but still secured their place in the next round with a convincing victory thanks to Diogo Costa 3 PEN stops.

Score: Portugal 0-0 Slovenia (PEN: 3-0)

At the start of the match, Portugal showed their ambition to win by attacking right from the beginning. As usual, Cristiano Ronaldo was at the center of the offense with his aerial duels and live ball shots, making the Slovenian defense work hard to fend him off.

The speed of the Portuguese players left Slovenia unable to keep up, leading to several free-kick opportunities for the “European Selecao.” Ronaldo took the lead in these set pieces, but in two powerful strikes, the ball missed the target, disappointing the fans.

Meanwhile, Slovenia had certain opportunities through quick counter-attacks, with Benjamin Sesko’s bold shot from outside the box being notable, though it did not trouble goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

Before the first half ended, Portugal almost celebrated an opening goal when midfielder Palhinha’s shot hit the post, much to the team’s dismay, leaving the score at 0-0 by halftime.

The second half unfolded similarly, with coach Roberto Martinez’s squad dominating ball possession.

As usual, Ronaldo was given chances from free kicks, but CR7 could not overcome Jan Oblak’s alertness.

The 39-year-old superstar nearly secured a win for Portugal with a decisive shot in the final minutes, yet Jan Oblak once again made an excellent save to deny Slovenia a goal.

As for Slovenia, the Central European team mainly relied on rapid counter-attacks. Benjamin Sesko demonstrated this by outrunning Pepe, but the 21-year-old failed to deliver a good finish to open the score.

With no goals scored, the match proceeded to extra time.

During extra time, Portugal almost took the lead when Diogo Jota was fouled in the box, earning a penalty. However, Ronaldo’s luck did not change as he once again could not beat Jan Oblak.

Slovenia also had a chance to end the game if Benjamin Sesko had capitalized on Pepe’s mistake, but the 21-year-old failed to beat Diogo Costa.

Despite their efforts in the remaining minutes, neither team scored, leading to a penalty shootout to determine who advanced.

The shootout, expected to be tense, was decisively influenced by goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who saved three consecutive shots from Slovenia. Meanwhile, Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva all converted their penalties, securing Portugal’s place in the quarterfinals.

In the quarterfinals, the Portuguese national team will face another major challenge in the French national team, who defeated Belgium in the previous match.