France’s William Saliba and Ousmane Dembele celebrate after winning the penalty shootout.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
France downed Portugal on penalties in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals following a goalless draw on Friday to set up a last-four meeting with Spain.
A largely dull 120 minutes saw both sides struggle to create clear chances in Hamburg, before Joao Felix was the only player to miss in the shoot-out and Theo Hernandez netted the winning spot-kick.
Cristiano Ronaldo made no mistake with his penalty, but this is the first time the 39-year-old has failed to score a goal at a major tournament.
After a turgid first half, France goalkeeper Mike Maignan was forced into good saves to deny both Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha.
Eduardo Camavinga shot wide with France’s best opportunity of the match.
Kylian Mbappe was withdrawn at half-time in extra time, still appearing to struggle with the mask he has been wearing since suffering a broken nose in France’s opening game against Austria.
Spain beat Germany in Friday’s first quarter-final as Mikel Merino’s 119th-minute header snatched a dramatic 2-1 win.
