Ben Fisher was in Frankfurt tonight, and his verdict has landed. Congratulations to Portugal, commiserations to Slovenia, and thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
A few more tears trickle out of the Ronaldo peepers, but of joy this time. Portugal will play France in Hamburg on Friday night. They cavort in front of their fans, relief the top note no doubt. They were pushed all the way by the resolute Slovenians, from whom Benjamin Šeško missed two glorious one-on-one opportunities. Diogo Costa will be the hero, having made those three glorious saves in the penalty shootout, but say what you will about Ronaldo, hats off to him for slotting his kick at the end there. Having been denied by Jan Oblak’s brilliance during extra time, it took serious guts to step up again. Another miss would have been unthinkable, given his heartbroken reaction to the first one. He collapses into Roberto Martinez’s arms, wearing a look of nervous exhaustion; he’s been through the ringer tonight. As have the rest of Portugal, Slovenia, and everyone else in Europe. What a fun, drama-packed game that was. More please, Euro 2024!
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