As the first half winds down, neither team has had much luck creating clear-cut chances. Mbappe suffered an accidental nose blow from Upamecano’s tackle and was given medical treatment using a protective mask.
This Portugal national football team vs France national football team timeline highlights how Zinedine Zidane came through with the decisive penalty kick to end Portuguese hopes in the 2006 World Cup semi-final, as the match was destined to go the distance.
Origins
The Portugal national football team, colloquially known as A Selecao (“The Dragons”), boasts a long and distinguished history filled with both triumph and setback. Over its journey it has visited major events around Europe where its presence earned recognition amongst some of the finest squads worldwide.
In 1914, Portugal officially inaugurated organized football with the establishment of a Football Federation; however it would take decades for their national team to gain prominence internationally. Their inaugural match took place in 1921 but even with some of their best players present they went down 3-0 against Spain.
Through the 1940s, Portugal struggled to establish itself as an influential force in global football. They entered almost every tournament from 1934 until 1962 but with mixed results; never advancing past the two-legged World Cup qualifiers where their rival Spain always prevailed.
However, things began to change in the mid-1990s as a group of young players took charge and won two U-20 World Cups and secured the national team’s best Olympic result (4th place).
Portugal made their way to UEFA Euro 1984 as fan favorites and reached the semi finals, only to lose to hosts France in an upset. While this result was disappointing, later that same year they would achieve redemption by qualifying for 1986 World Cup under Manager Carlos Queiroz.
Queiroz’s reign spanned more than a decade, during which Portugal transformed itself into an European powerhouse. Under his guidance, Portugal made it into the semifinals at UEFA Euro 2016, only to be defeated by Germany, and reached quarter-finals of 2020 World Cup under Fernando Santos; however, his tenure ended soon thereafter and Roberto Martinez took control in 2023; under him they won Nations League in 2019 before moving onto their current club today.
Meetings
No matter their previous results, these two sides will meet again on Friday in a high-stakes clash at Volksparkstadion. Both have failed to score in open play throughout this tournament; therefore a penalty shootout may decide who faces Germany or Spain in the semi-finals. Both have some top class talent on their teams – France has Kylian Mbappe while Portugal boasts Cristiano Ronaldo who form part of their forward lines respectively.
But both teams are still getting acquainted, and this match appears likely to remain low-scoring. France possesses more possession but cannot find a way through, instead relying on Portugal’s occasional slips ups in concentration to create chances.
First half was relatively uneventful but second period saw both teams battle hard for control. Joao Moutinho sent in an inviting cross from the right and Ronaldo scored an opener by heading his header past Munir Mohamedi for an early goal.
Ronaldo set up Goncalo Guedes with another opportunity seconds later, but the striker could only drag his shot wide of its target. France was also making some attempts at breaking away but their attempts were blocked by an impressive defense.
Both teams will be keen to seize every chance available as they attempt to secure a quarter-final place, yet Portugal have shown they appear more threatening thanks to Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva linking up well in midfield, creating an opportunity when Nelson Semedo’s pass was deflected just wide of the post by Upamecano.
France, under Didier Deschamps’s coaching, are much more composed under Didier Giroud than in recent years and boast some top players such as Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Kingsley Coman and N’Golo Kante – to name just some of their star names – making an impression during group stage play and having strong chances to win this competition; yet their scoring abilities need improvement against stronger opposition as their defense has made them vulnerable at times.
Goals
Even with Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe both present on both teams, the opening stages were extremely cautious with few chances created or clear opportunities created. France’s top goalscorer Antoine Griezmann missed two penalties while an effort deflected wide as both sides struggled to break free from their respective halves.
As the game enters its final 20 minutes, both teams look to play on the counter-attack. Mbappe showed great pace to beat several challenges but his attempt at shooting across goal was blocked by Portugal’s Pepe. Moments later he broke clear down the right side and his cross was again blocked by Leao.
Portugal control most of the possession but are unable to create a chance, with Fernandes and Vitinha both missing with efforts from inside the box, while Kante’s clipped ball in from one corner was parried away by Maignan.
Halftime:
After shaking hands and waving to the crowds to restart play, Mbappe wears a mask while appearing to struggle with his injury sustained from Mbappe’s hit in Group Stage play that fractured his nose. He wears this as evidence.
Decisions
Today marks a pivotal quarter-final matchup between tournament favorites Portugal and France at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg. While much has been made about Ronaldo passing the torch to Kylian Mbappe, team captain Bernardo Silva insists this contest is more than simply individual contests.
Ricardo Carvalho came within inches of winning the game when they tackled Thierry Henry inside the penalty area and took him down, possibly intentional or otherwise; TV replays suggested both possible scenarios; however referee Jorge Larrionda blew the whistle to award a penalty right away.
Cristiano Ronaldo was subtracted shortly thereafter as what appeared to be a tactical decision by Martinez. Ronaldo had struggled with possession and pass completions against French defenders with more mobility; Joao Cancelo performed much better offensively and proved more efficient.
At the conclusion of extra time, Didier Deschamps made an unexpected and controversial move by making two substitutions; Eduardo Camavinga replacing Adrien Rabiot who was suspended while Randal Kolo Muani took Marcus Thuram’s place who had been injured earlier in the match. It was an audacious move as it meant two key French players remained on the bench – two potentially game-changers for France!
Portugal quickly changed after making changes, taking control of the game with increased precision. Tempo slowed and pressure increased but Selecao managed to hold out and reach the semi-finals against either Germany or Spain.
The final minutes of this match were exhilarating as both teams battled hard for victory in an intense and exciting contest. Both sides appeared exhausted but kept searching for that one goal that would put them through to the semifinals. France eventually prevailed when Theo Hernandez scored from a spot kick following an offence committed against Theo by Portugal defender Joao Fernandes; it marked an exciting climax to an engaging contest that ended with both sides sharing an embrace in an act of solidarity after it had ended.
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