Veterans Ronaldo and Pepe, a broadcast at the Parc des Princes, a heroic goalkeeper… What you need to know about the Seleçao

Like the French, who they will meet in the quarter-finals on Friday, the Portuguese struggled offensively in their eighth-final of the Euro.

It’s a match that brings back painful memories. On Friday, July 5 (9 p.m.), in Hamburg, Les Bleus face Portugal in the quarter-finals of the Euro, for a remake of the 2016 final. This time, France arrives without having shown its best face, like Portugal in the end, who barely got rid of Slovenia in the round of 16 (victory on penalties). A disappointing performance given the Seleçao’s squad. Here’s what you need to know about Les Bleus’ opponent.

Cristiano Ronaldo, an idol lacking skill

At 39, CR7 is already in his sixth Euro. It’s simple, he hasn’t missed any since 2004. Despite everything, the Portuguese striker still seems to want to win and score. His tears after his missed penalty against Slovenia in the round of 16 are proof of that. In his game too, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner never stops trying in front of goal. With 20 shots, nine of which were on target, the Portuguese is also the player who has taken the most shots since the start of the tournament without managing to score. However, a single goal will be enough to make Cristiano Ronaldo the oldest scorer at the Euro.

A perfect balance between experience and youth

Among the 26 players in the Portuguese selection, Ronaldo is not the only one to put up a fight. The central defender, Pepe, 41, is also an undisputed starter. Overall, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has relied, since the start of the tournament, on experienced players like Bruno Fernandes (30 years old) and Bernardo Silva (30 years old). Around him, the former Belgium coach has called on young talents like Nuno Mendes (21 years old), Joao Neves (19 years old) or Francisco Conceição (21 years old). And it works.

Since the arrival of the Spaniard on the bench, in 2023, the Seleçao has lost only three games in 19 encounters and has won 15 times. But will it win a major tournament? Nothing could be less certain. In six years, Roberto Martinez has never managed to win an international competition with the golden generation of the Red Devils.

Reunion between Parisians

Among the names on the Seleçao coach’s list, some may ring a bell. Four of them, Nuno Mendes, Gonçalo Ramos, Danilo Pereira and Vitinha, are, in fact, playing for PSG. Even if this is unlikely because not all of them are starters in their respective national teams, we could therefore see up to eight Parisians on the pitch on Friday, if we add the French Ousmane Dembélé, Randal Kolo Muani, Bradley Barcola and Warren Zaïre-Emery. For the occasion, PSG will be showing the quarter-final live at the Parc des Princes!

Diogo Costa, new national hero

The Portuguese goalkeeper made history on Tuesday during the round of 16 match between Selection and Slovenia. By stopping all three of the opponents’ attempts on penalties during the penalty shootout, Diogo Costa achieved a 100% success rate that is unprecedented in the competition. “I think it was probably the best game of my life, maybe the game I was most useful in. Players change their minds and change the way they shoot. I had to follow my instincts.“confided the Porto player after the match. Between the Portuguese nugget, born in Switzerland, and “Magic Mike”the quarter-final between the Blues and the Seleçao could offer us a beautiful goalkeeper duel.