EURO 2024 Tracker: Costa saves three straight in shootout as Portugal advance past Slovenia

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EURO 2024 Tracker: Costa saves three straight in shootout as Portugal advance past Slovenia

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Ronaldo sees penalty saved by Oblak in extra time
Ronaldo sees penalty saved by Oblak in extra timeAFP, Flashscore
It is Day 18 of EURO 2024 and we have one of the biggest games of the tournament so far on Monday with old rivals France and Belgium meeting in the last 16 before Portugal take on underdogs Slovenia later on - follow all the action with our live tracker.

Listen to Portugal vs Slovenia live with Flashscore.

23:43 CET - Under that pressure, Diogo Costa has saved his country from elimination. He has pulled three incredible stops to deny Slovenia a historic win, sending Portugal through to a quarter-final that at times looked a forlorn hope. He will forever be a hero on the streets of all cities in his country tonight. 

Slovenia go home with their heads held high after an historic run to the round of 16, whilst Portugal will now face France in the last eight.

Read the report from tonight's game here.

23:42 CET - Diogo Costa's three saves have single-handedly put Portugal one penalty away from the last eight. It is Bernardo Silva and he scores. THEY ARE THROUGH TO THE QUARTER-FINALS!

23:41 CET - Benjamin Verbic needs to score for Slovenia... and IT IS SAVED! UNBELIEVABLE!

23:41 CET - Bruno Fernandes to double Portugal's lead in the shootout... and he does so with ease. One step in the last eight for his side?

23:40 CET - Jure Balkovec... SAVED! A brilliant stop from Diogo Costa!

23:39 CET - Cristiano Ronaldo, who else, up first for Portugal... and he makes amends for his miss in normal time by scoring here! 1-0 to Portugal!

23:38 CET - Josip Ilicic takes first... and it's SAVED!

23:37 CET - The coin toss has been taken and it will be Slovenia to go first with the spot-kicks taking place in front of the Portugal end.

23:34 CET - Drama, drama, drama! After a 0-0 draw between Portugal and Slovenia we are heading to spot-kicks. A penny for Cristiano Ronaldo and Benjamin Sesko's thoughts - they both missed huge chances to win the game for their sides and now will most likely step up to take a penalty for their side. 

Here are the match stats from the 120 minutes of action. 

Full match stats
Full match statsOpta by StatsPerform

23:34 CET - WE ARE HEADING TO PENALTIES!

23:31 CET - Two minutes left of the 120. Penalties loom now as Portugal make two changes that looked designed for it. Will we have one more chance to break the deadlock before then?

23:27 CET - SESKO! SAVED! Pepe makes a mistake that allows Benjamin Sesko clean through with the goal at his mercy, but Diogo Costa makes a HUGE save to keep it at 0-0. It's a massive moment in the game, what drama!

23:25 CET - It hits the wall and we continue looking for a goal that should now win the game. Eight minutes to play!

23:23 CET - Huge free-kick on the edge of the box for Slovenia, what can they do with this...

23:20 CET - Back underway, and the atmosphere is tense in Frankfurt. Joao Palhinha gets his head on a free-kick for Portugal, but Oblak is equal to it. Just 12 minutes left to play before penalties.

23:15 CET - Half-time in extra time and Ronaldo is in tears following his penalty miss. 

23:14 CET - IT IS SAVED!

Jan Oblak guesses the right way and saves the spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese striker has his head in his hands! A golden opportunity goes begging for Portugal and a lifeline for Slovenia.

23:12 CET - PENALTY TO PORTUGAL!

23:07 CET - Just four shots on target all game in this one as we reach the 100th minute of the contest. Corner for Portugal as they look to break through, their eighth of the game, and although Diogo Jota gets his head on the eventual cross, it's soft and Jan Oblak retrieves the ball. 

23:03 CET - Slovenia burst forward after some Portugal pressure, which sees Benjamin Verbic let fly with an effort, but it is deflected and wide. The game is now slow, but you feel chances will come for both sides.

22:59 CET - We are back underway in Frankfurt, will we have a winner in the next 30 minutes?

22:53 CET - Full time in Frankfurt and it has finished goalless after 90 minutes between Portugal and Slovenia.

Time for extra time and maybe penalties.

Here are the match stats from regular time.

Match stats
Match statsOpta by StatsPerform

22:48 CET - CHANCE! Diogo Jota finds Cristiano Ronaldo, and for the first time tonight, he is clean through, but his left-footed shot is straight at Jan Oblak. Still 0-0 as we enter stoppage time.

22:45 CET - Into the final few minutes of the game between Slovenia and Portugal, neither side risking much now as a further 30 minutes beckons.

22:37 CET - Both sides have made changes as near the end of the 90 - preparing for extra time perhaps?

Portugal - Slovenia current xG
Portugal - Slovenia current xGFlashscore

22:30 CET - Under 20 minutes to go in normal time, and you feel Portugal are running out of ideas. But, no fear, Cristiano Ronaldo is ready with another speculative free kick... and it's over again.

22:20 CET - CHANCE! A bit of pinball sees Benjamin Sesko one on one with Pepe, who is double his age. The Portugal defender does just enough to put him off as Sesko's effort is weak and dribbles harmlessly out for a goal kick.

22:14 CET - Ronaldo in the action again with another free-kick. This one is on target, but Jan Oblak is right behind the effort and punches it away. Still 0-0.

22:05 CET - We are underway in the second half between Portugal and Slovenia - still goalless, remember.

Cristiano Ronaldo came under the microscope by pundits across Europe for his first half performance, it certainly wasn't one of his finest. Our data shows he is on a 6.6 rating, the third worst in the Portugal team so far.

Cristiano Ronaldo's first half stats
Cristiano Ronaldo's first half statsAFP, Opta by StatsPerform

21:49 CET - Portugal hit the Slovenia post with the last kick of the first half as Joao Palhinha can't quite find the bottom corner. It is goalless at the break, but it has certainly been enthralling.

First half match stats
First half match statsOpta by StatsPerform

21:45 CET - Just before the break, Slovenia are finding more space - Benjamin Sesko unleashes a fierce shot that is well held by Diogo Costa.

21:33 CET - CHANCE! Cristiano Ronaldo gets onto the end of a Joao Cancelo cross, but his header is weak and Jan Oblak comfortably catches it. Now the talisman has a free-kick to give his side the lead, but he fires it just over. Not working out well for the veteran.

21:25 CET - Some continuing concern for Portugal's Nuno Mendes, who looked to get his knee caught in the turf during a challenge. He has been down twice now, but is continuing. Something to watch for sure.

21:14 CET - Portugal attacking with great pace and verve in the opening exchanges and it allows Bernardo Silva to put in a dangerous cross that just evades Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes can't turn the cross goalwards. Worrying times for Slovenia, who haven't been able to get a foot on the ball yet.

21:07 CET - As expected, Portugal have started the tie on top with Ruben Dias going closest early on with a shot after a corner. Slovenia will need to remain compact if they are to take this game deep. We have them with a 9% chance of winning tonight.

Portugal - Slovenia win probability
Portugal - Slovenia win probabilityFlashscore

21:01 CET - Anthems sung, let's get going! We are underway in our final game of the day between Portugal an Slovenia.

20:24 CET - A little more detail on the two sides tonight...

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has reverted to a back four in their European Championship round of 16 clash against Slovenia on Monday with the same starting team that beat Turkey 3-0 in their second group game.

Portugal made wholesale changes for their final group match against Georgia and paid the price with a 2-0 defeat, but are back to their first choice lineup, including playmaker Bruno Fernandes, who has 10 goals in his last 14 internationals.

Martinez had experimented with a back three against Czech Republic and Georgia. The team will be captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, who at 39 could become the oldest scorer at a Euros.

Portugal and Slovenia warm up before kick-off
Flashscore / Heik Kolsch

20:05 CET - No time to grieve Belgium, as we head straight to Frankfurt where Portugal, winners of Group F, take on Slovenia, who were one of the third-best teams in a group to qualify.

On paper, this looks like quite the mismatch given the firepower of the Portuguese and their legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo starts once more.

Portugal - Slovenia lineups
Portugal - Slovenia lineupsFlashscore

But, Slovenia have frustrated every team they have come up against so far - they are undefeated in this tournament, and they carry their own goal threat through Benjamin Sesko.

19:57 CET - Belgium's last real chance with their 'golden generation' has ended once again with their old foes France getting the better of them for the fifth time in a row. 

More disappointment will be felt by the Red Devils, who struggled to create much in this contest.

Here are the player ratings from the game, with Kylian Mbappe earning the highest rating at 8.3.

France - Belgium player ratings
France - Belgium player ratingsFlashscore

19:51 CET - It's all over, France have beaten Belgium 1-0 to progress into the quarter-finals!

France - Belgium match stats
France - Belgium match statsOpta by StatsPerform

Read the report now.

19:47 CET - Into stoppage time, we have three extra minutes. Can Belgium keep their tournament alive?

19:43 CET - FRANCE LEAD 1-0 THROUGH RANDAL KOLO MUANI! Finaly, the Belgium defence is breached and it's substitute Kolo Muani. His shot from inside the box is deflected off of Jan Vertonghen and into the net to send his fans into raptures. 

19:41 CET - CLOSE! Kevin De Bruyne finally finds some space and rips a shot at Mike Maignan, only for the French number one to punch it away. If that was in the corner, Belgium would be leading. Instead, we are still goalless with six minutes of the 90 remaining.

19:35 CET - Another chance for France, this time, again, through Kylian Mbappe. He picks up the loose ball on the edge of the box, shoots first time, but it's over the bar. That is France's 20th shot and they have just one on target. 

19:27 CET - France fans are looking more and more frustrated by the minute, as Aurelien Tchouameni smacks one over the bar - remember Didier Deschamps' men have scored just twice in the tournament so far. It nearly gets worse for those in blue as Romelu Lukaku unleashes a fierce, saved by Mike Maignan. Still, according to our data, France are favourites for the tie.

France - Belgium win probability
France - Belgium win probabilityFlashscore

19:20 CET - A rare foray forward for Belgium sees them nearly in behind France with Yannick Carrasco sprinting through, but he is denied by France.

19:11 CET - Some Mbappe magic sees him beat two defenders before unleashing shot over the Belgium bar - he looks to be clicking into gear now.

19:07 CET - Some nice work from Kylian Mbappe and and N'Golo Kante set up Aurelien Tchouameni for a shot on the edge of the box, which forces the Belgian goalkeeper into a good save low to his left. Early pressure from France at the start of this second half.

19:03 CET - We are back underway in Dusseldorf, can Belgium show some more creativity in the second half?

18:55 CET - Check how the game has unfolded with our Expected Goals graphic below. As you can see, France have had more dangerous chances, leading the xG count 0.62-0.08. Really, Belgium have barely had a sniff of goal so they might be pleased to still be level.

The xG story of the first half
The xG story of the first halfFlashscore

18:46 CET - Well, at half-time, you can’t exactly say it’s been a classic in Dusseldorf between France and Belgium with just one shot on target from each side and zero goals. France have had the lion’s share of possession but neither side have really looked too threatening.

First-half stats
First-half statsOpta by StatsPerform

18:28 CET - After almost half an hour, there haven't been many chances but France have racked up three yellow cards already! Adrien Rabiot misses the next match thanks to his booking. Antoine Griezmann and Aurelien Tchouameni have also been booked.

18:25 CET - As you can see by France's average position so far, they are playing pretty high up the pitch, in line with their dominance of possession (59%). They will be looking the use the pace of Kylian Mbappe and Marcus Thuram in wide areas to good effect against Belgium.

France's average positions so far
France's average positions so farAFP, Opta by StatPerform

18:20 CET - The opening stages of the match have been cagey to say the least. Belgium have not mustered a single attempt while France have managed just one shot on target. It's anyone's game still.

The xG story so far
The xG story so farFlashscore

18:00 CET - The match has just started in Dusseldorf! You can follow the action closely with our live audio and text commentaries - find those in the link above. We will have major updates from the game for you here in the Tracker as well.

16:59 CET - France have restored Antoine Griezmann and Marcus Thuram to their starting lineup for the clash with Belgium, with Thuram to partner Kylian Mbappe in attack and Griezmann to play just behind the front two.

Both had been dropped for the last group match against Poland in a surprise move but come back into the team in place of Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola.

Belgium also made two changes after drawing their last game with Ukraine and finishing second in their group.

Yannick Carrasco and Lois Openda were included in a more attacking-looking lineup with Youri Tielemans and Leandro Trossard dropping to the bench.

Starting lineups
Starting lineupsFlashscore

16:15 CET - If you missed any of the action from Sunday evening - both England and Spain advanced to the quarter-finals in contrasting styles - then catch up on the day's biggest talking points here.

Moving onto tonight, the action starts at 18:00 CET with an absolute blockbuster as France and Belgium face off in Dusseldorf. Neither side have hit their straps yet which only adds intrigue to the match.

Gear up for the action by reading our interview with former France player, and Euro winner, Alain Giresse.

France are favourites tonight
France are favourites tonightFlashscore

15:10 CET - Hello and welcome to our daily EURO 2024 Tracker and after two days of high-octane action in the knockout stages, we have two more with perhaps the tie of the round between France and Belgium kicking us off today.

Both sides have not played their best football so far in Germany, and our friends at Opta have taken a dive into the data to see what has been going on with these two sides.

France - Belgium video preview
Flashscore

The game between the two European neighbours kicks off at 18:00 CET, which you can listen to live right here.

Portugal and Slovenia do battle from 21:00 CET, with the winners of today's games going onto face each other in Hamburg on July 5th.

The Portuguese go into the round of 16 game as heavy favourites after winning Group F with two wins and one defeat, whilst Slovenia went through as one of the best third-placed teams despite not winning or losing a match at EURO 2024 so far.

Portugal - Slovenia video preview
Flashscore

Read the preview of the game here.