Portugal grapples with France in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 at Hamburg, both facing comparable offensive struggles as the match approaches.
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Portugal secured a spot in the quarter-finals thanks to a nail-biting penalty shootout, largely due to Diogo Costa’s impressive saves. Cristiano Ronaldo, despite missing a penalty, redeemed himself in the shootout, sparring the Porto goalkeeper from any blame.
France advanced by the narrowest of margins against Belgium, benefiting from an unintended assist off Jan Vertonghen’s knee. Their struggle to score consistently persists.
Euro 2020 witnessed these teams clashing in a thrilling 2-2 draw, heavily reliant on penalties. This matchup is a rerun of the Euro 2016 final where Portugal edged out France with a slim 1-0 victory in Paris.
Expectations are high for yet another captivating face-off between these European titans, but current form suggests it might not be a classic. Data from Opta hint at a potential French victory at the Volksparkstadion, assigning them a 40.1% win probability.
Portugal, with a 30.2% chance, faces the prospects of extra time and penalties to progress, repeating their strength from previous encounters. France, historically successful in their early Euro clashes against Portugal, aims to champion once more.
Both teams flaunt attacking prowess yet have stumbled in Germany, implying that small edges could tip the balance. Portugal has encountered scoring difficulties, an issue never seen in their major tournament history.
France has mirrored this, netting only three goals through two own goals and a Mbappe penalty, signaling a dry spell in scoring from open play not experienced since 2013.
Despite offensive woes, France’s defense boasts the lowest xGA (2.63) in the quarters, only bested by Serbia in the tournament. Deschamps’ side hopes to continue their favorable record against Portugal, having lost just once in their last 14 face-offs.
Martinez may contemplate whether to include Ronaldo from the start, despite his critical penalty miss followed by redemption in the successive shootout. Ronaldo’s relentless efforts are yet to yield scoring results at Euro 2024.
Deschamps’ attempt to ignite France’s attack with a robust triple threat upfront proved lackluster. Despite dominating in shots, few hit the mark, continuing the offensive struggle.
Both coaches face tough decisions about their forward lines, weighing trust against the need for fresh tactics. Anticipation builds for players like Joao Paulinha and William Saliba to make their mark, each pivotal in their respective roles, with Paulinha ready for a move to Bayern Munich and Saliba solidifying his defensive prowess post an impressive tenure at Arsenal.
