France joins Spain in semi-finals after beating Portugal on penalties

Following his impressive performance in Portugal's penalty shootout victory over Slovenia, goalkeeper Diogo Costa made a straightforward save in the 20th minute to deny Theo Hernandez's long-range effort.

Despite a brief scare, Portugal appeared to be the stronger team in a tense first half, although their possession did not result in clear scoring opportunities.

In the 43rd minute, Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick provided a promising chance for Bruno Fernandes, whose powerful strike missed the target.

After a quiet first half, Kylian Mbappe came to life early in the second half, combining with N'Golo Kante before delivering a shot that was saved by Costa.

As the game reached the hour mark, Portugal had two excellent opportunities in quick succession. First, Fernandes was thwarted by Mike Maignan's strong save, and then Vitinha's shot was stopped by the goalkeeper after being set up by Rafael Leao.

France then squandered two significant opportunities after nearly falling behind. Randal Kolo Muani seemed poised to score, but Ruben Dias made a remarkable last-ditch block to thwart the forward.

Eduardo Camavinga also had a chance to net his second international goal, but his right-footed shot missed wide. The lack of cutting edge from both teams led to Portugal facing extra time once again.

Ronaldo, who missed a penalty in the previous match, failed to redeem himself by shooting over the bar.

Mbappe was substituted for Bradley Barcola, and Portugal almost secured victory in the 120th minute, but Maignan's crucial save ensured France's spot in their first penalty shootout since the 2022 World Cup final.