An incredibly touching moment after the penalty shootout. Two proper warriors for their country

3 Things You Missed As France Beat Portugal on Penalties at Euro 2024

With a place in the semi-final of Euro 2024 against Spain at stake, France and Portugal went head-to-head in the last eight of the competition. Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo are the biggest stars of their respective nations, but there was an incredible amount of talent all over the pitch as two of the favourites clashed.
A quiet first half saw both sides feel each other out and get to grips with the tie, while supporters may have been slightly frustrated at a lack of action. Occasional bursts of speed from Mbappe and some controlling football from Portugal were the only real talking points from a cagey opening 45 minutes.
The second half followed a similar pattern as both teams failed to break the deadlock. An extra 30 minutes couldn’t even produce a goal, and the game would ultimately be decided by a penalty shootout. Joao Felix was the unfortunate man to miss from the spot as France progressed to the next round after a 5-3 shootout triumph. Below are three moments fnas may have missed during all the action.

Deja Vu For Kolo Muani

His miss didn’t prove costly on this occasion

Randall Kolo Muani may still have nightmares about his last-gasp miss in the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina. Emiliano Martinez excellently thwarted the French forward in the dying moments before Les Bleus would go on to lose on penalties.

The Paris Saint-German striker may have had a flashback to that moment as the ball fell promisingly in his path with the scoreline still locked at 0-0. With the ball sitting up nicely, he once again attempted to put his country ahead in a major tournament, but this time he slightly mis-kicked the ball and allowed Ruben Dias the chance to make a sensational block. Kolo Muani won’t want to see either of these moments back again anytime soon.

Pepe Loves Defending

The 41-year-old is still as good as ever

He may be past the 40-year-old mark on paper, but Pepe still plays the game with all the intensity and passion as he did 20 years ago. The Real Madrid icon is still one of the finest defenders around with his intelligence and reading of the game on another level to many others in his position.

The Porto centre-back displayed his determination to make Euro 2024 a tournament to remember as it may well be the final time fans see him in the famous red of Portugal. Pepe was vital to his nation’s run in Germany, and he once again showed why he’s still a vital cog in the machine. Coming face-to-face with a fresh Marcus Thuram in the 90th minute could have been a daunting prospect for a 41-year-old, but Pepe dealt with the danger brilliantly before letting out a celebration worthy of a winning goal. View the moment below:

Ronaldo Consoles Devastated Pepe

It’s possibly the final time they will share a pitch together

Despite his wonderful display at the heart of the backline, Pepe was powerless to prevent his team from being knocked out of the competition. The nature of a penalty shootout is cruel as he and his teammates did everything right to keep a clean sheet on the night.

However, the usually steely central defender couldn’t hold back the tears once it was confirmed there would be no final hurrah for him on the international stage. Ronaldo and Pepe have been through a lot together both internationally and at club level as they spent time together at Real Madrid. The former consoled his heartbroken teammate upon full-time as the two icons bowed out of European competition together. Watch the video below:

It was a touching moment for all to see as Ronaldo held onto his distraught colleague. While the 39-year-old will have been equally devastated by the result, he was still able to embrace his friend as cameras picked up the tear-jerking moment between two of Portugal’s finest ever players.