Euro 2024 Takeaways: France gets lucky, Portugal wins on penalties

While many Canadians were out celebrating Canada Day, across the pond Euro 2024 round of 16 action continued in Germany.

France advanced to the quarterfinals after a lackluster display and yet another own goal, while Kevin De Bruyne & Co. bowed out much earlier than they would have liked. Later in the day, Portugal narrowly edged Slovenia on penalties after the latter put up a valiant effort.

Looking ahead, it’ll be back to the drawing board for France and Portugal, who will need to be much sharper if they want to make it past the next round. The quarterfinal matchups will be far beyond a walk in the park.

Read on for what you need to know about Monday’s games at Euro 2024.

THE RESULTS

France 1, Belgium 0 in Düsseldorf: Match report || Match stats

Portugal 0 (3), Slovenia 0 (0) [penalties] in Frankfurt: Match report || Match stats

MAIN TALKING POINTS

Blah Bleus barely beat barren Belgium (say that three times fast)

If Euro 2024 has taught us anything, it’s that tournament soccer isn’t always pretty or exciting. In fact, it can sometimes be quite cruel, as both Didier Deschamps and Domenico Tedesco’s side displayed in Monday’s dreary yet tight round of 16 match.

The first 45 was a technical, tactical game of chess. In all honesty, it was one of the most boring halves at the tournament thus far. Despite highly calculated movements, both sides had hardly anything to show for. Belgium only tallied one shot the entire half, and while France monopolized possession and passed the ball well, Les Bleus didn’t capitalize and its masked star, Kylian Mbappé, was barely involved. At the break, it felt like one of those games where a single goal would win it – and that’s exactly what happened.

While the second half picked up in intensity, it took until the 85th-minute to break the deadlock. Substitute Randal Kolo Muani’s shot deflected off Jan Vertonghen’s knee and into the net only minutes after Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliant strike was saved at the other end of the pitch. While the goal was enough to send France into the quarterfinals, its goal-scoring prowess has to be questioned. The French have recorded just three goals at Euro 2024 – two own goals and one penalty – yet somehow find themselves in the final eight without scoring in open play.

Is this a slice of luck? Perhaps. But whether it's luck, lack of finishing or something else entirely, France can no longer rely on just scraping by. The amount of balls over the bar or missed headers was shocking for a team of such quality. Only recording two shots on target is hardly good enough, and France didn’t seem to take advantage of a Belgian side that wasn’t at its best (especially with De Bruyne playing deeper, a questionable positioning decision to say the least). If Deschamps can’t find a way to get his team to become creative and take more risks, the roosters will be headed back to the coop.

Hold your head high, Slovenia

Just like France vs. Belgium earlier in the day, Portugal and Slovenia’s round of 16 match started at turtle speed. Players paced themselves, risks weren’t taken, and it was as if each team was waiting for the other to make a mistake. Slowly but surely, minutes passed, halftime came and went, and still nothing noteworthy happened. 

But let’s talk about Ronaldo, because that’s where things finally got interesting. It was an up-and-down day for the Portuguese legend, who became the first player at Euro 2024 to have over 15 shots on goal without scoring. Making matters worse, the 39-year-old missed four direct free kick attempts against Slovenia, bringing his Euro record to zero goals in 33 direct free kicks. Is the forward jinxed at this tournament, or is it a lack of composure? Slovenia fans certainly loved Ronaldo’s lack of finishing, chanting “Messi!” everytime he missed a chance. Right before halftime of extra time, Ronaldo uncharacteristically shed tears as he missed a penalty that likely would have secured the game.

That said, Slovenia keeper Jan Oblak made a class save, remaining strong and composed under immense pressure, sending the game into a shootout, where Ronaldo did eventually score. Ultimately, it was the other goalie, Portugal’s Diogo Costa, who had the shootout of his life saving three shots in a row to secure victory. 

But credit needs to be given to Slovenia where it's due. For Slovenia’s first-ever appearance in the knockouts of a major tournament, Matjaž Kek’s side should be incredibly proud. Despite the loss, Slovenia rewrote its story and declared itself as a side capable of pushing some of the world’s best teams to the brink. While it’s safe to say that Portugal didn’t look like itself today, Slovenia remained mature and disciplined with a tight press and solid formation. If the squad can continue this level of play, there’s certainly a bright future on its horizon.

FAN OF THE DAY

“Food wars” has gone viral at Euro 2024, with fans from various countries going head-to-head in a competition of its own: a battle of the best national dishes by way of posters taking digs at opponents’ cuisines.

On Monday, a passionate Belgium fan was pictured with a Red Devils hat, facepaint and a sign that read “Belgium fries better than French fries.” Historically, it’s believed that the process of frying potato sticks originated in Belgium between the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

BLOCK OF THE DAY

Midway through the second half, a rare Belgian burst was cut short by a last-ditch Theo Hernández block. The 26-year-old chased Yannick Carrasco down the pitch, and just as the Belgian was about to pull the trigger, the Inter Milan star’s outstretched leg cleared the ball and denied the Red Devils the opener. A mistake in this situation could have seen Hernández concede a penalty and possibly a red card, but his timing proved absolutely perfect. While it’s often strikers who receive recognition, in this case, the defender deserves all the love.

FLOP OF THE DAY

In the 22nd-minute, Slovenia forward Andraž Šporar went down, complaining he’d been kicked by Portugal’s Vitinha. Interesting, considering the lack of contact from the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder. When the ref told Šporar to get up, judging by his reaction, you’d think it was the end of the world. When in reality, it was an unnecessary and abysmal dive.

THREE STARS OF THE DAY

1. Jules Koundé (France): Koundé’s defensive talent was one of the reasons France kept a clean sheet against Belgium. The 25-year-old Barcelona man shut down Jeremy Doku, one of the quickest and craftiest wingers in soccer today, by keeping him to only three touches in France’s box.

2. Jan Oblak (Slovenia): The 31-year-old goalkeeper came up clutch in extra time, saving a massive Ronaldo spot kick to deny Portugal an opener and push the match to penalties. The Atlético Madrid player remained calm and confident the entire game, guarding the sticks with intelligence and fearlessness.

3. Diogo Costa (Portugal): It’s rare two goalkeepers are worthy of “Man of the Match” performances, but the third star of the day has to go to Portugal’s Diogo Costa, who saved three Slovenia penalties in a row to seal victory for his side. It's absolutely outstanding work from the 24-year-old Porto goalie, whose performances will surely go down in Portuguese goalkeeping history.

LOOKING AHEAD

The round of 16 comes to a close on Tuesday when Romania faces the Netherlands in Munich at 12 p.m. ET, and Austria takes on Türkiye in Leipzig at 3 p.m. ET. 

The Netherlands has won 10 of its last 14 games against Romania in all competitions, but it’s Edward Iordǎnescu’s side that summited Group E (despite only recording four points, a Euro first) while the Oranje advanced as one of the best third-place teams. Both squads have yet to hit their stride this tournament, and will look to do so at Munich Football Arena.

Unexpected to many, Austria topped Group D ahead of the Dutch and World Cup runner-up France, and is determined to progress to the Euro quarterfinals for the first time in program history. Türkiye began its Group F campaign with a 3-1 win over Georgia, but went down 3-0 against Portugal. However, Vincenzo Montella’s men regrouped to send off Czechia in Matchday 3 added time, proving its resilience and ability to bounce back against tough opponents. This mentality should not be underestimated heading into Tuesday’s showpiece.