Euro 2024 Day Three: Kante's Mastery And Costa's Heroics Define Knockouts
Day three of the Euro 2024 knockout stages delivered intense action. France narrowly defeated Belgium in a highly anticipated match, but the real drama unfolded later as Portugal faced Slovenia. Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates advanced on penalties, with Diogo Costa and Pepe making history. Here, we delve into the key Opta facts and stats from an exhilarating day in Germany.
The opening game saw France narrowly beat Belgium in a heavyweight clash. Didier Deschamps' team secured their quarter-final spot thanks to a Jan Vertonghen own goal, forced by Randal Kolo Muani's errant shot five minutes before the end. This continued France's streak of benefiting from own goals at Euro 2024.
France has now won all five of their major tournament encounters with Belgium, maintaining a perfect record against them in European Championships and World Cups. N'Golo Kante's return to midfield was significant, as he won both tackles and created two chances, extending his unbeaten run in European Championship matches to 12 games.
Belgium struggled to create clear opportunities despite efforts from Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku. They have failed to score in five of their last six major tournament games, despite having numerous attempts on goal worth significant expected goals (xG).
Portugal will face France for a place in the semi-finals after surviving a scare against Slovenia. The match ended goalless after extra time, leading to a penalty shootout where Diogo Costa saved all three Slovenian penalties. Cristiano Ronaldo had seven shots during the match but couldn't score, even missing an extra-time penalty.
Ronaldo has now missed three out of nine penalties taken in major international tournaments. Despite his struggles during regular play, he scored Portugal's first penalty in the shootout. Diogo Costa made more saves during the shootout than in the entire 120 minutes preceding it.
Pepe also made history by becoming the oldest player to feature in a knockout-stage match at either a World Cup or European Championship at 41 years and 126 days old. He surpassed England's Peter Shilton's record set during the 1990 World Cup.
3 - Portugal’s Diogo Costa is the first goalkeeper to save three penalties in a UEFA European Championship penalty shootout and also the first to concede zero goals in a Euro shootout. Hero. #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/zmpz90m7Sw
— OptaJoao (@OptaJoao) July 1, 2024
This thrilling day of football showcased remarkable performances and historic moments that will be remembered for years to come.
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