It is tough for
Portugal to take, but they had their chances and could not win a second successive shootout at the tournament.
It wasn't pretty from France, but they have made it.
Thank you very much for joining us for the contest, good evening!
France will take on Spain in the first semi-final next week.
It's been a very long night, but we appreciate you sticking with us.
France book their spot in the semi-finals of
Euro 2024, courtesy of a penalty-shootout success over Portugal. France were perfect from the spot, with Felix's effort against the post proving to be incredibly damaging for Martinez's side.
FULL TIME: PORTUGAL 0-0 FRANCE (FRANCE WIN 5-3 ON PENALTIES)
GOAL! PORTUGAL 3-5 FRANCE
Hernandez wins it for France! Perfect penalties from the Blues!
GOAL! PORTUGAL 3-4 FRANCE
Mendes keeps Portugal in it!
GOAL! PORTUGAL 2-4 FRANCE
Barcola scores to send France 4-2 ahead!
OFF THE POST! PORTUGAL 2-3 FRANCE
Felix hits the post!
GOAL! PORTUGAL 2-3 FRANCE
Kounde finds the top corner to make it 3-2 to France!
GOAL! PORTUGAL 2-2 FRANCE
Bernardo makes it 2-2 with a brilliant effort!
GOAL! PORTUGAL 1-2 FRANCE
Fofana down the middle to send France ahead!
GOAL! PORTUGAL 1-1 FRANCE
Ronaldo levels the scores here, what a relief for him!
GOAL! PORTUGAL 0-1 FRANCE
Dembele sends France 1-0 ahead!
Costa, Maignan.
Which one will be the hero?
All of the conversations are over. The penalty-takers have been decided. It's time. Which side will face Spain in next week's semi-final?
It's been a long night. Thank you for staying with us. Just a little bit longer would be great, as I will bring you the penalties very shortly.
Penalties are coming here. Incredible.
FULL TIME: PORTUGAL 0-0 FRANCE
Penalty shootout!
SAVE! Big save from Maignan to deny Mendes, could have been some finish!
We're almost there. This one will require penalties.
PORTUGAL SUB! Nunes replaces Vitinha for Portugal.
I genuinely feel nervous about these upcoming penalties, not too sure why.
Is Ronaldo going to score?
As I mentioned earlier, Spain will not be concerned by anything that they have seen tonight, and they will be the favourites in the semi-final for me.
I already feel nervous about the penalties.
I did predict this, without going on about it. It had a 0-0 written all over it.
Both managers are in deep conversation with their assistants, potentially discussing which players will take penalties.
Or will there be late drama here?
SHOT! Barcola fires wide of the Portugal goal after breaking into the box.
Good work to find the space, but the shot was disappointing.
Little over five minutes of extra time remaining here.
Penalties will seemingly be needed to separate the two sides.
SHOT! Wild attempt from Dembele, as he fires over the crossbar.
The tension inside the stadium is incredible.
Both sets of fans are nervous, you can sense it.
A mistake now would be so costly, and both teams are sitting in their shapes.
Little bit of life from both sides here, with France stepping up the pace.
CHANCE! Big moment! Felix, who has only just come on, heads into the side-netting at the far post. Again, it was really good work from the bright Conceicao.
Mbappe did not look comfortable all evening, and it does appear that he has signalled to Deschamps that he cannot continue. Ronaldo, though, will finish the game.
KICKOFF: FRANCE SUB! Barcola replaces Mbappe here.
PORTUGAL SUB: Felix enters the field for Leao.
Blimey, it looks like Mbappe is coming off?
I would be shocked if there was a winner in extra time. Neither side will want to take any risks at this stage of proceedings, so the match is unlikely to be frantic.
Still 0-0. Ronaldo had a huge chance to score in that first period of extra time, but the forward fired over the crossbar. Another 15 minutes to play here.
HALF TIME IN EXTRA TIME: PORTUGAL 0-0 FRANCE
SHOT! Conceicao curls harmlessly over the France crossbar.
There has been some excellent defensive performances tonight, with Saliba and Pepe on opposite sides worth a mention. The duo have both been incredible.
SHOT! Leao has a shot blocked inside the France box!
The pace of the match has dropped again, although Portugal are having more of the ball in the final third of the field. Not long left in the first half of extra time here.
France are just a little bit more purposeful going forward at the moment. Portugal are not really offering too much, with Ronaldo very isolated in the middle.
SHOT! High and wide from Thuram. Not great it must be said.
SHOT! Pepe has again been sensational tonight. He has just made another excellent block on Mbappe.
© Reuters
Portugal have a throw in French territory, but Semedo throws it back.
No risks are being taken at the moment, which is not a shock.
CHANCE! Huge chance for Ronaldo! That was the moment!
Conceicao delivers into the penalty box, but Ronaldo fires over!
Ronaldo was never coming off, was he?
But he will be feeling his legs at this stage of proceedings.
KICKOFF: FRANCE SUB! Fofana enters the field for Camavinga.
Mbappe is just having a massage on the pitch.
Ronaldo is involved in a team talk with Martinez.
Which side will advance to the semi-finals of the competition?
Nothing to separate the two teams in 90 minutes of action.
We go on here. Another 30 minutes at least.
END OF 90 MINUTES: PORTUGAL 0-0 FRANCE
SAVE! Another smart save from Costa to keep out an effort from Mbappe.
Almost over here.
Extra time it will be.
PORTUGAL SUB! Ruben Neves replaces Palhinha.
SHOT! We are into the second of three additional minutes here.
Mbappe has just curled one over the crossbar.
Brilliant challenge from Pepe to deny Thuram inside the penalty box.
SHOT! Saliba does brilliantly to block a strike from Bernardo!
SAVE! Another comfortable save for Costa to deny Kante.
SAVE! Smart goalkeeping from Costa to keep out a long-range Kante effort.
This is going to extra time, isn't it?
Little over two minutes of normal time remaining, and there will not be too much added time here. I predicted extra-time, and we are almost there.
FRANCE SUB! Thuram enters the field in place of Kolo Muani.
Ronaldo fires his free kick straight into the wall.
Portugal have a free kick in a dangerous area here...
YELLOW CARD! Saliba is booked for fouling Conceicao just outside the France box.
It's Portugal's turn to enjoy possession of the ball.
France are not overly concerned.
This is the pattern at the moment.
Pass, pass, pass from France.
Portugal are sitting in their shape.
YELLOW CARD! Palhinha is booked for Portugal, and if his side make the semi-finals, he will be suspended.
Just a reminder that Spain are waiting in the semi-finals, with La Roja beating tournament hosts Germany 2-1 earlier this evening.
I had a feeling this match would be a 0-0 and go all the way to penalties, and that is happening at the moment, but there is still plenty of football left to play.
Not too many risks being taken at the moment, which is not a surprise.
A goal at this stage could be a winner.
Not sure about that Fernandes change? But Martinez knows more than me.
Little under 15 minutes of normal time remaining here, and we are still 0-0.
PORTUGAL SUBS! Semedo and Conceicao replace Cancelo and Fernandes for Portugal here.
CLOSE! Dembele whistles one just wide of the Portugal goal!
Analysis from Sports Mole reporter Jonathan O'Shea...
"Echoing his unforgettable miss in the World Cup final, Kolo Muani is again denied by a last-gasp intervention. This time by Ruben Dias. Will his luck change today, or perhaps he'll have to make way for the aerial threat of Giroud?"
France are coming on strong now, with Portugal just starting to look a little bit tired for the first time tonight. Martinez surely must be considering alterations here.
CLOSE! France! Camavinga collects the ball inside the Portugal box following a favourable deflection, but his effort is just wide of the far post!
No movement on the Portugal bench at the moment. Martinez is holding firm.
Super block from Mendes on Mbappe after the France captain had worked some space in a wide area. This match is heating up very nicely indeed at the moment.
FRANCE SUB! Ousmane Dembele replaces Griezmann.
CLOSE! WOW!
Kolo Muani finds himself free inside the Portugal box and strikes towards goal, but Dias is across with a brilliant block, and it deflects behind!
Portugal continue to threaten down the left, with Leao causing so many problems, and France are struggling to get out of their own half at the moment.
France are wobbling here. It's all Portugal.
SAVE! Here we go then! Brilliant save from Maignan again to keep out a close-range Vitinha effort, with the midfielder meeting a low cross from Leao. Maignan is then on hand to block Ronaldo's attempt.
SHOT! Goodness me. The less said about that shot from Tchouameni the better.
SHOT! Cancelo fires wide of the post moments after the Fernandes chance.
SAVE! Best moment of the match so far! Fernandes breaks into the France box, and his low strike is saved by goalkeeper Maignan!
This is more like it.
Which manager will blink first in terms of substitutes? There is so much talent on both benches.
Leao has just broken into the France box, but Camavinga is across to make an excellent challenge.
We are back underway. Mbappe has his mask back on. Little over 30 minutes of normal time remaining here, and the score is still level.
Mbappe is going to be fine here. His mask is off for now, but it will soon be back on, and the play will continue. Little over 30 minutes of normal time remaining here.
Mbappe is clearly in a lot of pain here, holding his nose. Replays have shown that a header from Bernardo hit him in the face. The play has been stopped here.
Mbappe is down holding his face, and his mask is off.
Will one of these two superstars be the hero tonight?
© Reuters
Better from France as Hernandez gets forward and delivers a dangerous low cross into the Portugal box, but there are no takers in a blue shirt!
PENALTY APPEAL! Mendes goes down inside the France box, and looks at the referee, but Michael Oliver is not interested. It was a dive from the left-back. No contact from Upamecano.
SAVE! Portugal goalkeeper Costa keeps out an effort from Mbappe, with the France captain taking his shot early. Relatively comfortable save for the stopper, though.
Vitinha has just burst clear for Portugal, but Camavinga is across to make a brilliant challenge. Excellent work from the Real Madrid midfielder, but the signs are positive - the tempo of the match is better at the start of the second period.
Some analysis from Sports Mole reporter Jonathan O'Shea...
"Neither team has taken a shot from inside their opponents' box, with Portugal's xG standing at 0.07 to 0.08 for France. Below par so far, both Ronaldo and Mbappe must improve their movement, if they are to break the deadlock in Hamburg."
KICKOFF: Portugal get the second period underway here.
Both sets of players are just starting to emerge for the second period.
Spain will not be overly concerned with what they have seen from Portugal and France in the opening 45 minutes here. La Roja have been the best team at this summer's tournament and will fancy that their pace of play will cause any side issues.
Not long until the second period starts, as there was not a single minute of added time in the first half, which tells its own story. Come on, positive thoughts for the second half.
I'm going 3-3. Maybe not.
"Ronaldo, Griezmann, Mbappe... we were expecting more, weren't we?" Jermaine Jenas has just said on
BBC Sport.
And he isn't wrong.
Saliba also deserves a special mention, with the Arsenal centre-back putting in a brilliant performance for France. He was not even guaranteed to be in the France XI ahead of Euro 2024, but he has been sensational this summer. Some talent.
Leao has been the best player on the pitch in the first period, with the Portugal forward causing problems down the France right.
Nothing from Ronaldo in the opening half, while Mbappe has also been quiet.
Portugal dominated the possession in the first period, having 60% of the ball, while they managed two attempts to France's three.
The only shot on target came from Hernandez, but it was comfortable for Costa.
Mbappe pulls his mask off and then rubs his eyes.
It cannot be comfortable.
Anyway, that first period did not produce a major chance - there is a lot at stake, and you can feel that nervous energy inside the stadium tonight.
HALF TIME: PORTUGAL 0-0 FRANCE
Not long left to play in the first period here, and we are all square.
Ronaldo was standing behind Fernandes, but the Manchester United captain took the effort. It was decent, but Maignan was not overly concerned between the France sticks.
SHOT! ... Fernandes curls his free kick over the crossbar.
Free kick for Portugal in a dangerous area as Kolo Muani fouls Vitinha...
It will be very interesting to see how Martinez uses Ronaldo tonight. Will he face a tough decision in the second period? Jota through the middle might work better for Portugal in this match, as Ronaldo has just not been in the contest so far.
Little over five minutes of the first period remaining, and we are goalless here.
There has not been any serious chances for either side, just half-chances at absolute best. It is the match that I thought it would be. Nothing to choose between them.
Saliba has been excellent in the middle of the France defence tonight.
He was probably the best centre-back in the Premier League last season.
I hope I'm wrong, as I want to see some goals, but I can easily see this match being 0-0 and going all the way to penalties. It is so tight at the moment.
France's first corner of the match is played short, and Portugal deal with it.
Camavinga delivers a dangerous cross into Griezmann, but Fernandes is across to make the clearance. Good spell of possession for France in Portugal's half of the field.
Pepe has just shown all of his experience to clear ahead of Griezmann, with France looking threatening. Portugal are then quickly down the other end and win a free kick.
Pass, pass, pass from Portugal.
Leao is the one causing France problems - he just delivered another low cross into the France box, but Maignan is on hand to collect.
SHOT! Mbappe just burst clear of Mendes, with France on the front foot, but Griezmann has a shot blocked by his own teammate before Hernandez hits one over from distance.
Still goalless with little over 15 minutes of the first period remaining here.
The corner was Portugal's fifth, but France deal with it through Saliba.
I cannot speak from personal experience, but that mask must be really difficult to play in. It simply must have an impact on Mbappe's performances. Just the one piece of strong work from the Real Madrid attacker in the opening 28 minutes.
Leao, though, has been very impressive for Portugal down the other end, with the forward just having a low cross cleared behind for another corner.
France have the opportunity to threaten from a wide area, with Griezmann standing over a free kick, but his delivery is headed clear by Ronaldo.
Camavinga attempts to chip one into Hernandez inside the Portugal box, but he gets it wrong, and the ball goes behind for a goal kick. Still level with 24 played here.
And just like that, Mbappe bursts into life.
He is down the left and delivers into the Portugal box, Costa palms it clear, and Portugal manage to clear their lines. First sign of Mbappe here.
A bit better from France, but Portugal are back in control of the possession.
No real chances for either side in the opening 22 minutes, but Portugal have been the superior outfit. Nothing from Mbappe yet tonight, famous last words.
SAVE! Smart save from Costa to keep out a long-range effort from Hernandez!
Just a reminder that the winner of this match will face Spain in the semi-finals next week.
La Roja beat the hosts Germany 2-1 earlier this evening...
Kolo Muani heads the Portugal corner clear.
Cancelo against Mbappe is a very interesting battle in this match. Cancelo has just got the better of the France captain. Both players are absolutely lightening it must be said.
SHOT! Fernandes hits one from distance, and the ball deflects wide of the post.
The answer? No.
Comfortable claim for the France goalkeeper.
An error from Maignan leads to Portugal having a corner. Will it be costly?
Not too much happening at the moment in all honesty.
I gave this one the big build-up, but it is yet to produce.
Leao releases Mendes with a brilliant flick down the France right, but the left-back's cross does not find a teammate.
Not too much from either Ronaldo or Mbappe thus far.
Ronaldo has shown some nice touches, though, with the 39-year-old combining with teammates in dangerous positions. Portugal have just had a corner courtesy of a deflected Fernandes free kick, but France deal with the danger.
Yet to really take off this game.
Leao and Mendes have been bright for Portugal in the early moments, and they again combine down the left, but France clear the danger.
Portugal are the team dominating the ball at this moment in time.
France came out quickly, but Portugal have been on top in the last few minutes, working the ball from side to side in a bid to create space. France are sitting deep at the moment.
Little bit of possession from Portugal in the last couple of minutes.
Martinez's side will be looking to settle into this contest. Ronaldo has an early touch and zips a pass into the feet of Mendes, who advances down the left. It is worked into the France box, but the Blues stand strong and manage to force Portugal back.
Decent start from France here. The Blues are on the front foot, with Portugal having to sit deep in the early exchanges. Griezmann is playing as the 10, as expected.
KICKOFF: We're off. France get us started.
Let's hope for an absolute cracker here.
Ok, it's just about that time. The handshakes have been completed. The players are ready. It is Portugal against France for the right to play Spain in the semi-finals.
Now Portugal. You can feel the emotion here.
Time for the national anthems. France are up first.
Little over five minutes until kickoff in Hamburg, and the players will soon emerge from the tunnel. You do get the feeling that the first goal could be crucial here. There are also so many stories that could emerge from this match. Will it be Ronaldo's final appearance at a European Championship? Or will he be the hero?
France will seemingly play a midfield diamond tonight, with Griezmann operating behind Mbappe and Kolo Muani. The midfield battle will be fascinating here, as there are so many wonderful players, including a certain N'Golo Kante. This match could well be won or lost in the middle of the park.
Some words from Mbappe on a certain Ronaldo...
"It's the admiration I've always had for Cristiano, for the player. Over time, I've had the chance to get to know him and talk to him many times. We're still in touch," Mbappe told reporters.
"He's always trying to give me advice and keep up to date with what's going on. Playing against him is an honour for everything he's done in football.
"No matter what happened before or what happens after, he'll always be a legend of the game. But of course we hope to win and reach the semi-finals."
© Reuters
Portugal will need to be better then they were against Slovenia if they are to advance to the semi-finals of the competition. Diogo Costa was brilliant for Martinez's side during the penalty shootout, and Ronaldo also scored after missing during extra-time. Diogo Jota was mentioned as a possible replacement, but Ronaldo keep his spot.
Some pre-match thoughts from Portugal boss Martinez...
"One of the reasons [for sticking with the same XI] is that we want to give continuity. Keeping the partnerships is important. We are refreshed. After the four games, we've been very focused, the feeling in training has been very good. We want to play a good game in this quarter-final and be the best version of what we can be. We can improve what we've done, but we need to carry on the good things that we did," he told reporter Carlos Machado.
Portugal needed a penalty shootout to beat Slovenia in the last-16 stage of the competition, while France recorded a 1-0 victory over Belgium. Neither side were convincing, and it would not be a shock to see this match go all the way to penalties. A 0-0 cannot be ruled out, but let's hope that it is a game full of goals.
Spain vs. Portugal.
Spain vs. France.
Both sound excellent to be fair.
Spain will take some beating, but they will be without some key players for the semi-final, including Dani Carvajal, who was sent off late on against Germany.
We'll have reaction from that contest on the site, but for now, let's focus on this titanic battle, as kickoff is now under 20 minutes away!
SPAIN ARE THROUGH!
La Roja beat tournament hosts Germany 2-1 to progress to the semi-finals. Portugal or France will tackle Luis de la Fuente's side in the final four. Incredible scenes.
© Reuters
As for France, head coach Didier Deschamps has made two changes to the side that started the last-16 game with Belgium. Adrien Rabiot is suspended, which has opened the door for Eduardo Camavinga to start, while Randal Kolo Muani has replaced Marcus Thuram in the final third of the field. There is also a spot in the XI for a certain Kylian Mbappe.
As expected, Portugal are unchanged from their last-16 clash with Slovenia. There had been suggestions that Cristiano Ronaldo could be dropped, but in truth, it was never a serious possibility. Ronaldo again leads the line – could this be the match where he becomes the oldest goalscorer in the history of the European Championship?
FRANCE: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, T Hernandez; Kante, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Griezmann; Kolo Muani, Mbappe
SUBS: Samba, Areola, Pavard, Mendy, Giroud, Dembele, Thuram, Zaire-Emery, Fofana, Coman, Clauss, Konate, Barcola
PORTUGAL: Costa; Cancelo, Pepe, Dias, Mendes; Vitinha, Palhinha, Fernandes; B Silva, Ronaldo, Leao
SUBS: Patricio, Sa, Semedo, Dalot, Ramos, Felix, Danilo, Inacio, J Neves, Nunes, R Neves, Jota, A Silva, Neto, Conceicao
SPAIN HAVE JUST SCORED! 2-1! LA ROJA ARE HEADING INTO THE SEMI-FINALS OF EURO 2024!
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of Friday's mouthwatering Euro 2024 quarter-final between Portugal and France in Hamburg. Right, with only 30 minutes until kickoff, let's immediately have a look at the team news here.
Germany
Switzerland
Hungary
Scotland
Spain
Italy
Croatia
Albania
England
Denmark
Slovenia
Serbia
Austria
France
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Belgium
Slovakia
Ukraine
Portugal
Turkey
Georgia
Czech Republic
