João Félix hits the post in shootout to allow France to squeeze through to semi-finals following goalless draw
Two teams that simply could not score all night finally found their range in the shootout and, in the end, it waswho held their nerve. They had Théo Hernandez to thank for sending them through after João Félix, the only player to falter, struck a post with his penalty.
This time someone would bow out early. It was tempting to expect a deliberate, slow-burning encounter suffused with bursts of rare quality. France attempted to set a somewhat faster tempo from the start, Randal Kolo Muani failing to find a teammate when cutting back from a useful position, but Portugal drew any initial sting. It was Rafael Leão, producing one of those flashes, who raised the first cheers with an outrageous backheel that nutmegged Jules Koundé and sent Nuno Mendes away.
His fellow old stager had been less involved. When Ronaldo pursued a raking pass in the 35th minute, William Saliba strode over and shrugged him aside almost quizzically; perhaps he might have been on his toes soon afterwards when Cancelo fizzed a ball across the box. Perhaps the only real surprise in the opening period came when he left a 25-yard free-kick to Fernandes, who wafted it over the bar. By recent standards it was admirable largesse; the game’s offerings, though, had been miserly.
This was better, though, Eduardo Camavinga, in for the suspended Adrien Rabiot, chased back brilliantly to prevent Leão going for goal. Then Maignan beat away an angled strike from Fernandes, who then fed Cancelo for a shot that drifted off target. Moments later Leão tormented Koundé again and teed up an onrushing Vitinha, who should probably have scored but drew a sharp save from Maignan.
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