This combination of pictures created on July 7, 2024 shows Spain’s forward Alvaro Morata and France’s forward Kylian Mbappe.
| Photo Credit: AFP

France go into July 9 Euro 2024 semi-final showdown against Spain hoping Kylian Mbappe can finally produce a performance worthy of his superstar status at a tournament in which he has struggled to find form and fitness.

The match in Munich is a mouthwatering prospect and a huge occasion in particular for Mbappe, in his first major tournament captaining his country and just before he starts a new chapter in his career at Real Madrid.

At 25, and having just completed his dream move to the Champions League winners, Mbappe should be in the prime of his footballing life.

But the man who won the World Cup as a teenager and scored an incredible hat-trick in the 2022 final in Qatar, has not been able to play anywhere near his best at the European Championship.

Mbappe joined up with the France squad after a difficult final campaign at Paris Saint-Germain which was marred by a slightly messy divorce from the club as his playing time was reduced.

Already floundering to some extent physically, lacking his usual explosive edge, a broken nose in Les Bleus’ opening game at the tournament against Austria has further diminished him.

He has scored just once, from a penalty, at the Euros and it may be no exaggeration to say his performance in Friday’s quarter-final against Portugal in Hamburg was the worst of his career in such a big game.

Mbappe ended up being substituted halfway through extra time — he later admitted he was simply exhausted — and so watched from the sidelines as his teammates won on penalties.

“He might not have been here at all, so we need to look at it in a positive light,” coach Didier Deschamps told broadcaster TF1 on Sunday.

“Kylian is here, even if he is not at 100 percent, and I know that has an impact on the opposition who are forced to adapt to him.”

Whether Spain are too worried remains to be seen, with Mbappe clearly inhibited by the protective mask he has to wear over his injured nose.

There is little prospect of him challenging for a header, and he has indicated that his field of vision is reduced by the mask.

His poor form, along with that of vice-captain Antoine Griezmann, helps explain why France have scored just three goals in five games on their run to the semi-final — one being Mbappe’s penalty against Poland and the other two coming via own goals.

‘When he talks, we listen’

However, Mbappe’s teammates insist they are not worried about their captain’s performances.

“I don’t think he is going through a bad period. He had a great season. If he is not scoring goals we need to help him. The competition is not over. Apart from his little nose, he is fine,” said Randal Kolo Muani, who played with Mbappe at PSG in the last campaign, on Sunday.

Mbappe is France’s third-top scorer of all time with 48 goals in 83 appearances, but he has just two in his last nine caps.

In the meantime, he has settled into the role of captain which he was given after Hugo Lloris retired in the wake of the 2022 World Cup.

On Friday, after being substituted, television cameras caught Mbappe giving a rousing speech to his teammates just before the penalty shoot-out against Portugal.

“Kylian is the player who went through one-on-one three times in a World Cup final,” said midfielder Youssouf Fofana in reference to his hat-trick against Argentina in Doha.

“So when he talks about penalties before a shoot-out, we listen to him.”

Mbappe is also very much at ease in front of the media, and has notably used the platform given to him in pre-game press conferences to talk politics, making clear his opposition to the far-right National Rally in relation to the French parliamentary elections.

He is a natural leader, but it is goals that this shot-shy France team want more than anything from him.

Mbappe will not come directly up against one of his future club colleagues against Spain, with right-back Dani Carvajal suspended after his sending-off against Germany in the quarter-finals.

Whoever replaces Carvajal, Mbappe will hope to come out on top and lead France to a third final in the last four major tournaments.

Portugal’s Pepe is consoled by teammate Cristiano Ronaldo following the team’s defeat in the penalty shoot-out during the UEFA EURO 2024 quarterfinal match against France in Hamburg on July 5, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

This time, they weren’t Cristiano Ronaldo’s tears.

Instead, the Portugal superstar’s role was to console a weeping teammate after a painful exit from their last European Championship — and, who knows, potentially their final major international tournament.

Pepe, a defender still excelling for his country at the remarkable age of 41, was dejected as he sobbed on the shoulder of Ronaldo in a embrace lasting about 15 seconds following Portugal’s penalty-shootout loss to France in the quarterfinals in Hamburg on Friday.

Two Portugal stalwarts. A combined age of 80. It was quite the sight.

“Soccer is very cruel,” Pepe said.

Ronaldo cried himself at Euro 2024 — after having a penalty saved during extra time of the last-16 match against Slovenia just four days ago. He cried at the 2022 World Cup after Portugal lost to Morocco in the quarterfinals.

Maybe he was out of tears, because this time he simply looked into the sky, appearing to be disappointed and rueful.

Ronaldo will be 41 when the next major tournament rolls around — the 2026 World Cup, jointly held by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Can he stick around until then? Well, he is still captain of his country — the holder of a men’s record 130 international goals and 212 international appearances.

He is still churning out full games for his country. The only time he didn’t complete a match at Euro 2024 was in the group stage against Georgia, when he came off in the 66th minute with Portugal assured of advancing. He played the entire 120 minutes against Slovenia and France.

And he still clearly commands the respect of his teammates and coach, Roberto Martinez.

Yet Ronaldo, who now plays his club soccer out of the global spotlight in Saudi Arabia, has now gone eight games without a goal in major tournaments. That takes in all five of Portugal’s matches at Euro 2024 and its final three at the World Cup in Qatar.

He was almost completely shackled by France center backs William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano, with Ronaldo’s only clear chance coming in extra time when he finally escaped his marker but couldn’t hook a shot on target from a cross from the right.

Ronaldo converted his penalty in the shootout but it wasn’t enough, And then he had to take on the role of comforter for Pepe.

“I won’t say it publicly,” Pepe told TV station Canal 11, when asked what Ronaldo said to him. “But we feel it a lot. Contrary to what many people think, we feel it a lot.

“We feel the frustration of not winning a game, of being eliminated in such a big competition as the European Championship, knowing that we had a lot of quality to go through. That’s the pain we feel.”

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez echoed those thoughts, saying “the tears are tears of frustration.” “When you play against better opposition, there are no tears but this is hard to accept,” he said.

Martinez added that Ronaldo had yet to make a call about his international future, saying things were “too raw” and that Portugal was “suffering a defeat as a team — there are no individual decisions at this point.” Pepe was slightly more open, even if he still left things unclear about his future.

“I will have the opportunity to speak in the future,” he said. “I don’t want to speak about it (now) because tomorrow people might be speaking about my future instead of talking about this process.” Ronaldo finishes his European Championship career on a record 14 goals. That’s five more than his nearest rival, Michel Platini, who scored all of his at one tournament — Euro 1984 — including two hat tricks.

Ronaldo is the only player to go to six editions of the European Championship. He had scored at each one before arriving in Germany.

Euro 2024, however, proved a tournament too far..

Portugal’s goalkeeper Diogo Costa saves the ball during penalties of a round of sixteen match against Slovenia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, on July 1, 2024
| Photo Credit: AP

Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa said he had the best game of his life against Slovenia on July 1 as he saved three penalties to send his team into the Euro 2024 quarterfinals.

After a goalless draw over 120 minutes of the last 16 clash in Frankfurt, Porto goalkeeper Costa produced three saves to thwart Slovenia’s three takers as his team claimed a 3-0 shoot-out win.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who missed a penalty in extra-time, converted in the shoot-out along with Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva for Portugal, who face France on July 5 in the last eight.

The 24-year-old also made a vital one-on-one save with his foot in the second period of extra-time when Slovenia’s Benjamin Sesko bore down on his goal following a defensive error.

“I think this is probably the best game of my life, maybe the game I was most useful in,” Costa told reporters.

“I just went with my gut, of course we analysed the shooters, but players change their minds, and they change the way they shoot.

“I had to go with my gut, that’s what I felt. I am very, very happy, and I am very excited to help the team.”

Costa said he tried to anticipate what Sesko was going to do for his crucial save near the end of extra-time.

“I thought ‘I need to stop this, I’ll give it my best effort’,” he explained.

“I tried to read his body language and thankfully I managed to help the team, which was the key thing.”

Costa was pleased Ronaldo dusted himself down and scored after his 105th-minute penalty miss that left the superstar striker in tears.

“We all felt we needed to keep believing — myself and Cristiano, everybody makes mistakes, but the most important thing is what we do after these mistakes,” added Costa.

“We need to believe in ourselves and that’s what we did. And now we’re all very happy and all friends.”

Selecao coach Roberto Martinez said Ronaldo’s emotions showed how much he still cared in his sixth European Championship, despite a long and illustrious career.

“Those emotions are incredible for someone who has done so much, that’s why I thank him… only the penalty takers can miss penalties,” said Martinez.

“I was certain he had to be the first taker (in the shoot-out) and show us our way to the victory.

“Everyone is very proud of our captain. He gives us all a lesson, to have real high standards and never give up.”

Martinez also hailed Costa, saying the shot-stopper is a “very well kept secret in Portuguese football”.

“I’ve worked with a lot of goalkeepers and he’s up there with the best,” said Martinez.

“(The key is) his maturity, his experience, and we now get to benefit from his performances.”

German football players celebrate after their win over Denmark in the Euro 2024 prequarterfinal match in Dortmund on June 29, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Let that patriotic fervor soar. Host nation Germany is headed to the quarterfinals at the European Championship after a wet and wild win over Denmark on June 29.

“We’re going to Berlin,” sang the jubilant Germany fans who were first battered by rain and hail after a thunderstorm that stopped play for 25 minutes, then saw their team benefit from back-to-back video review calls that helped to set up a 2-0 victory in Dortmund.

Two more wins will take Germany to the capital for the July 14 final, in what could yet turn into a summer fairy tale for a nation whose soccer team is coming out of a sorry run of performances in major tournaments.

It could have been so different against the Danes, though.

The host-nation buzz was burst when, with the score at 0-0, Denmark defender Joachim Andersen swept home a close-range finish that looked to have put his team ahead in the 50th minute. The Video Assistant Referee spotted an offside in the buildup, a free kick was awarded and the ball was played downfield immediately, leading to a cross by David Raum hitting the outstretched right arm of — who else? — Andersen.

The VAR got involved again and a penalty was awarded. Kai Havertz converted the spot kick and Jamal Musiala added a second goal — his third of the tournament, which is tied for the most with Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze — in the 68th.

“We played a super game — we had crazy fans again today,” Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck said. “We’re playing with euphoria, we’re playing with fun, and that’s what the most beautiful thing about football is.”

It was Germany’s first win in the knockout stage of a major tournament since 2016, since when the national team has failed to advance from the group stage at back-to-back World Cups and lost in the last 16 of the last Euros in 2021 to England.

Germany will play Spain or Georgia next and became the second team to advance from the round of 16, after Switzerland beat defending champion Italy 2-0 earlier Saturday.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann told German broadcaster ZDF that he used the rain delay to show his players incidents from the first half-hour of the game which his team dominated, playing the most soccer of the tournament, in his opinion.

Indeed, the players were able to head into the confines of the locker room while thunder, lightning and torrential rain struck, leaving spectators in the front rows particularly exposed as they scrambled higher in the stands. Many used black-yellow-and-red flags they had waved before the match, to welcome the players onto the field, as makeshift umbrellas.

“Oh, how lovely it is,” some sang, and a few Danish supporters danced in waterfalls in the stands.

There was about a 20-minute delay before the rain relented and players re-emerged, undertaking warmups before play resumed a few minutes later. The pitch held up well in the circumstances.

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand was left to rue those crucial couple of minutes when the big VAR decisions were made.

“I have the photo here,” he said, whipping out his phone at the post-match news conference. “It was one centimeter (offside). In terms of statistics and data, it doesn’t makes sense. This is not how we are supposed to be using VAR.

“And I am so tired of the ridiculous handball rule. Joachim was running normally. It’s a normal situation.”

Nagelsmann sympathized with Hjulmand, saying: “I would also be annoyed if it was the other way round.”

However, it’s Denmark going home and Germany heading to Stuttgart on Friday.

“It was a wild game altogether,” Nagelsmann said.

“We came through adversity in those seconds where it was, ‘Was it a goal or not a goal?’ and ‘Was it handball or not a handball?’ That makes me proud. The team deserves it and hopefully we are getting rid of the old memory stick and understand how good we actually are.”

Switzerland football team members celebrate after knocking off the defending champion Italy in the UEFA Euro 2024 prequarterfinal match in Berlin on June 29, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Defending champion Italy crashed out of the European Championship after losing to Switzerland 2-0 in the last 16 on June 29.

Goals in each half from Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas gave the Swiss their first win over their southern neighbor for 31 years and set up a quarterfinal against England or Slovakia in Düsseldorf on July 6.

Italy’s elimination means the titleholder has gone out in the last 16 for the third successive Euro after Portugal in 2021 and Spain in 2016.

Switzerland hadn’t beaten Italy since 1993, and notched only a ninth win from 62 attempts.

“We showed from the first second that we really wanted to win this game. The spirit is incredible,” Switzerland midfielder Fabian Riedler said. “Everyone is happy. Everyone runs for the other one.”

His team dominated in terms of possession, shots, attacks and passes.

By the time Italy responded in the second half, the aggressive Swiss defense was able to deal with it. Coach Murat Yakin’s gameplan worked to perfection and he repaid the faith his federation showed him when there were calls for him to go in November.

“Football gives so much to us, gives so much to us in our lives. I don’t know how to pay back football for everything it’s given me and my life,” Yakin said. “I’ll always remember tonight.”

All Italy counterpart Luciano Spalletti could do was put his hands out in exasperation on the sideline.

“The team were timid in terms of the intensity of the game. We didn’t do a good job. We weren’t able to maintain a high level of intensity,” Spalletti said.

Freuler deservedly broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when he set up Vargas’ cross with his first touch and smashed it in with his next.

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had earlier denied Breel Embolo in a one-on-one, produced a flying save to deflect Fabian Riedler’s free kick onto the post before the break.

But the second half had barely started before Vargas curled a shot from the edge of the penalty area inside the top right corner.

Italy was immediately more proactive and Switzerland defender Fabian Schär was relieved to see his attempted headed clearance rebound off the post minutes later.

Fans tried to get a Mexican wave going through the Olympiastadion but the Italian fans were not in the mood.

Their team pushed forward in search of a way back only to find none. Gianluca Scamacca went closest when he hit the post but looked offside in any case.

Spalletti spoke of his team’s “ beautiful suits ” before the Spain game, but this time, after substitute Mattia Zaccagni’s last-second equalizer against Croatia, he was unable to pull a rabbit out of Italy’s hat.

“If we failed, we failed. And we failed because of my team selection. And in terms of the way I conducted myself, it’s never down to the players,” Spalletti said.