Portugal's players' evaluations in opposition

 

Portugal's players' evaluations in opposition. France: Joao Felix's missed penalty finishes Cristiano Ronaldo's catastrophic Euro 2024 campaign and puts Seleccao into a shootout loss.

 

 

6/7/2024,

This time, there were no tears shed, even if the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was once again reduced to the role of a passenger in the scoreless draw.

It's finally finished, yet it's not even close to over, the Cristiano Ronaldo Show. The last few episodes have been really difficult to watch, ruining season after season of consistently excellent work with one incredibly horrible and overly long German finale.

To be honest, it was hardly Portugal's fault that they were eliminated from the Euro 2024 quarterfinals by an unbelievably boring French team. In the shootout, Ronaldo clung to his penalty,

 

which the Seleccao lost 5-3, with Joao Felix's earlier miss being followed by Theo Hernandez's clinching spot kick. However, the main thing is that he wasn't supposed to be on the pitch at that point.

A more courageous manager than Roberto Martinez would have pulled out a forward who had been a spectator for the most of the match, touching the ball only 40 times in 120 minutes and adding an incredible 23 shots to his tournament total without a goal. Rather of playing the unstoppable captain of Portugal, the Spaniard strangely substituted out Rafael Leao and Bruno Fernandes, who had been significantly more active and threatening.

 

 

Defence & Keeper

Diogo Costa (6.5/10): 

Maignan outshined Portugal's hero during the penalty kick match, and he was unable to make any saves in the penalty shootout.

 

Joao Cancelo (7/10): 

Given Mbappe's position on France's left wing, he was understandably not allowed the customary amount of freedom to attack, but he nevertheless played the pass of the game to release Fernandes and then had a chance to score after a rebound.

Ruben Dias (8 out of 10):

What a block. mostly unaffected by the attackers for France, but he saved his team's blushes by blocking Kolo Muani's goal-bound attempt.

 

Ruben Dias: 

What a block (8 out of 10). mostly unaffected by the attackers for France, but he saved his team's blushes by blocking Kolo Muani's goal-bound attempt.

 

Pepe: (9/10)

bravely overcame his unsteady performance against Slovenia to deliver a defensive masterpiece in which he skillfully took Kolo Muani's possession on the edge of the box, successfully recovered to stop Dembele from crossing the ball, and performed a spectacular block on Mbappe.

Nuno Mendes (7 out of 10):

Another confident performance from the left-back, who never fails to project calmness whether he's clearing up at the back or combining with Leao on the left.

 

 

Midfield

 

Vitinha (8/10): 

Always ready to jump on misplaced passes and touches, Vitinha is a pain in the neck for opponents while in possession. Obviously, possessed the most balls of any Portugal player. Leao's cut-back should have resulted in a goal, though.

 

Joao Palhinha (8/10): 

Munich has made good purchases. The defensive midfielder, who once again embodied composure, consistently thwarted French advances. However, he received an odd booking for taking the ball away from Mbappe.

Bruno Fernandes: 

7.5 out of 10.

played in a more forward position and nearly broke the tie on the hour, but Maignan made a great save to stop his low strike. Given that he had been directly involved in five of Portugal's seven opportunities up to that moment, his 74th-minute exit was quite unexpected.

 

Assault

 

Bernardo Silva (7/10): 

In an attempt to assist Cancelo in stopping Mbappe, he played more deeper than he had in previous games, which unavoidably reduced his offensive danger. produced little, save for a good late-game shooting opportunity for Nuno Mendes, but he consistently passed the ball smartly.

Ronaldo Cristiano (5/10):

grew more and more furious at the unsatisfactory treatment he received, which was, to be fair, understandable. But he was unable to completely wrap his right foot around Concepcion's cross when he had a great opportunity, and as a result, he skyed the ball.

 

Rafael Leao (7.5/10): 

The winger torments Kounde along the left flank, making him by far Portugal's most dangerous player. Although his crossing occasionally failed him down, he generated some opportunities that ought to have been converted. It is reasonable to question why he was the first forward to be taken off once more.

 

 

Manager & Subs

Nelson Semedo (7/10): 

Replaced Cancelo at right back, advancing the ball whenever he could.

Francisco Conceicao (7/10): 

Came on as a late substitute for Fernandes, and Saliba's foul gave the Frenchman a booking. also shown incredible quickness and agility in creating a fantastic opportunity for Ronaldo.

Ruben Neves: 

6.5 out of 10

arrived just after regular time and kept everything orderly.

 

Joao Felix (4/10): 

Made his debut during the extra time period, but he was unable to capitalise on a good opportunity at the back post, as the forward headed into the side netting, and his spot-kick struck the post. A disastrous cameo.

 

Matheus Nunes (N/A): 

Introduced in the last moments.

Martinez Roberto (3/10):

made several incredibly strange replacements (why did they take off Leao and Fernandes?!) and strangely decided to keep Jota on the bench the entire time; nonetheless, none of this is noteworthy at this point. Martinez would argue that Portugal had more opportunities throughout the course of the 120 minutes, but he cannot talk his way out of this catastrophe. His unquestioning trust in Ronaldo has permanently damaged his reputation.