Portugal and France face off in the UEFA EURO 2024 quarterfinals on Friday, July 5 by 8 pm

Portugal and France face off in the UEFA EURO 2024 quarterfinals on Friday, July 5 by 8 pm

Although neither Portugal nor France have played

at their fluid best in EURO 2024 thus far,

this tantalizing matchup gives both teams

the chance to establish themselves as serious contenders.

Great players will be everywhere on the field,

but even though Kylian Mbappé and Cristiano Ronaldo

will probably get the most attention,

the defenders may be the ones who hold the secret.

Diogo Costa, the goalkeeper for Portugal,

turned away three penalty shootout attempts against Slovenia, and Jules Koundé and William Saliba of France have kept three clean sheets in their last four games. Which one of them will win in Hamburg?

While Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva have scored,

their seasoned leader, Cristiano Ronaldo,

has had difficulty scoring. The 39-year-old,

who is playing in a record-tying sixth Euros,

sobbed in dejection after Slovenia’s penalty was

saved in extra time during the round of 16.

Ronaldo scored in the shootout, but as his goal-scoring prowess wane, questions have been raised about his place in the starting lineup. Despite having took the most shots (20) in Euro 2024, the attacker for Al Nassr has failed to score in his last eight games.

Prior to the game, Portugal’s coach Roberto Martínez stated: “We’re now focused and prepared for France.” Although they could leave space behind the lines, they are incredibly strong.

“They may pose issues, but ideally we’ll give ourselves more opportunities. The competition features different specifics now that penalties can be used to win and individual great moments can be produced.

Additionally, France’s coach Didier Deschamps stated:

“We have the talent and quality,

but there are a lot of teams that have that.”

At the top level, consistency and diligent teamwork are required.

Everyone is improving, and all of these bouts have one thing in common:

the athletes’ level of athletic intensity is at an all-time high.

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