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Euro 2024’s second quarter-final is another blockbuster tie which pits 2018 World Cup winners France against 2016 European Champions Portugal.
Didier Deschamps’ men have managed to reach the last-eight without scoring a goal from open play. Two own goals and a Kylian Mbappe penalty have been enough to get them through testing matches against Austria, the Netherlands, Poland and Belgium. Their narrow win over Belgium in the last-16 lacked quality and excitement though the French will take heart from several missed opportunities and the fact Mbappe is due to rediscover his form since sustaining a broken nose.
In comparison, Portugal needed to come through a penalty shootout to defeat Slovenia in the round of 16. Roberto Martinez’s team struggled to create openings in their first knockout match with Cristiano Ronaldo in particular squandering good opportunities, including missing a penalty in extra-time.
The match will be a battle of generations with Mbappe taking on Ronaldo yet both sides will know improvements are needed if they hope to get the job done tonight.
Follow all the action from Portugal v France with our live blog below:
Euro 2024: Portugal v France
Portugal needed penalties to reach the quarter-finals and will face a France side who have had a more straightforward route at Euro 2024.
France’s narrow win over Belgium might have lacked quality and excitement for large periods of the match, but France had several missed opportunities. Kylian Mbappe has not found his form since sustaining a broken nose in his side’s first game of the tournament but will have another chance against Portugal.
The game might be billed as the new generation of Mbappe against 39-year-old Ronaldo, and it is set to make for an exciting contest.
Chris Wilson5 July 2024 17:05
Good afternoon!
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Euro 2024 quarter-final between Portugal and France. Two nations with very similar play styles and led by global superstars in Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe.
France reached the last-eight with a 1-0 victory over Belgium despite the game being a fairly placid and unthrilling affair while Portugal needed a penalty shootout to squeeze past Slovenia.
Tonight’s match gets underway at 8pm with the winners facing either Spain or Germany whose quarter-final tie begins at 5pm. We’ll have all the team news, build-up and updates throughout the evening so stick with us.
Chris Wilson5 July 2024 16:50