Can Portugal Play Well, Play Beautifully, Score Goals and Win?

 

Euro 2024: Portugal's Rafael Leao (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo (AP Photo/Petr Josek)

Zidscore.com-The Portuguese national team will face the French national team in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. The Portugal vs France quarter-final match at the Volksparkstadion will kick off on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at 02:00 WIB.

Portugal is expected to play well, play beautifully, score goals, and win. This hope was expressed by their coach, Roberto Martinez.

Martinez wants his team to play beautifully for a reason. According to him, that is one way to achieve victory.

For Portugal's Chance to Win the Match

"I want to play well, and play beautifully, and score goals," Martinez said, as quoted by UEFA's official website.

"Perfection is something we don't have. Therefore, we try to be the best at all times."

"When we play beautifully, we play better. When we play better, we have a greater chance of winning the game," he said.

Portugal and France's Performance So Far

Portugal's performance has not been entirely convincing. After winning the first two matches, Cristiano Ronaldo and his friends lost to debutant Georgia in the last match of the group stage, then struggled to eliminate Slovenia through a penalty shootout in the round of 16.

Meanwhile, with a squad that is also qualified, France has not been able to show their best game. Kylian Mbappe and his friends have not been defeated so far, but their goal productivity is truly worrying.

In Group F, Portugal beat the Czech Republic 2-1 and beat Turkey 3-1, but then lost 0-2 to Georgia. In the round of 16, marked by Ronaldo's penalty failure, Portugal drew 0-0 with Slovenia before finally winning the penalty shootout 3-0. Ronaldo atoned for his mistake with a goal as the first executioner. Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva also did their jobs well. Goalkeeper Diogo Costa became a hero by thwarting three Slovenian executioners.

In Group D, France narrowly won 1-0 over Austria, drew 0-0 with the Netherlands, and 1-1 against Poland. In the round of 16, France won 1-0 over Belgium. France only managed to score three goals. Sadly, two were own goals by Austrian and Belgian players, while the other goal was a penalty goal by Mbappe against Poland.

Euro 2016 Final Replay

The last time Portugal and France met was in the Euro 2020 group stage. At that time, they drew 2-2. Portugal's two goals were scored by Cristiano Ronaldo (31 penalties, 60 penalties), while France's two goals were scored by Karim Benzema (45+2 penalties, 47).

The last time Portugal and France met in the Euro knockout stages was when they dueled in the Euro 2016 final. At that time, France acted as hosts. Portugal won 1-0 thanks to Eder's extra-time goal and won their first Euro title.

This time, Portugal and France will fight for a place in the Euro 2024 semifinals. Can Portugal play well, play beautifully, score goals, and win?

Source: UEFA