Euro 2024’s second quarter-final is another blockbuster tie which pits 2018 World Cup winners France against 2016 European Champions Portugal.
Didier Deschamps’ men have managed to reach the last-eight without scoring a goal from open play. Two own goals and a Kylian Mbappe penalty have been enough to get them through testing matches against Austria, the Netherlands, Poland and Belgium. Their narrow win over Belgium in the last-16 lacked quality and excitement though the French will take heart from several missed opportunities and the fact Mbappe is due to rediscover his form since sustaining a broken nose.
In comparison, Portugal needed to come through a penalty shootout to defeat Slovenia in the round of 16. Roberto Martinez’s team struggled to create openings in their first knockout match with Cristiano Ronaldo in particular squandering good opportunities, including missing a penalty in extra-time.
The match will be a battle of generations with Mbappe taking on Ronaldo yet both sides will know improvements are needed if they hope to get the job done tonight.
Follow all the action from Portugal v France with our live blog below:
Portugal v France LIVE
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Portugal take on France in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, live on BBC One
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France defeated Belgium in last-16 with Portugal beatin Slovenia in a penalty shootout
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Winner of this tie will face Spain or Germany in the semi-finals
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Portugal XI: Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Pepe, Mendes; Vitinha, Palhinha; Bernardo, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo
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France XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez; Tchouameni, Kanté, Camavinga; Griezmann; Kolo Muani, Mbappe
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20’ SAVE! – Hernandez strike one from range but Costa keeps it out (POR 0-0 FRA)
Portugal 0 – 0 France
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:28 , Chris Wilson
28 mins
Excellent pace from Mbappe to get away from Mendes, but the attack ends with another wayward ball in from Camavinga.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:28 , Chris Wilson
27 mins
Not a frantic pace to the game yet, but both sides have had half-chances and threatened at times. Neither has been dominant overall, but Portugal have probably just edged it so far in terms of their willingness to commit numbers forward.
Leao skins Kounde down the left once more, and his cross is put behind for Porugal’s fifth corner.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:25 , Chris Wilson
25 mins
Ronaldo is briefly down after a clash with Hernandez, but he’ll be okay.
France win a free-kick in a dangerous area by the right-hand edge of the Portugal box, but Ronaldo is there to head away Greizmann’s delivery.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:23 , Chris Wilson
23 mins
Mbappe bursts into the box and hits a low pass across goal, but Costa does well to parry it again. France are keeping the ball better now, until Camavinga floats in a cross that runs past Hernandez.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:21 , Chris Wilson
20 mins
Portugal’s corner is cleared and France counter well, led by Hernandez. He eventually lines up a shot from distance, but Costa does well to get down to his left and parry it away.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:20 , Chris Wilson
18 mins
Ronaldo drops deep again but it’s to good effect, helping to play Portugal out of their half and launch the counter. The ball is swung in from the left, but it overruns all the red shirts.
Much was made of Ronaldo’s performance against Slovenia, but it was one of his better performances for the Selecao in recent years.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:17 , Chris Wilson
16 mins
Mike Maignan inexplicably miscontrols the pass back to him and it’s a Portugal corner, but the French ‘keeper makes amends by collecting it well. He hurls it towards Mbappe, but Cancelo does well again to intercept.
Leao gets down the left and beats Kounde, but his ball in eventually finds Silva, but it comes to nothing. Shortly after, Fernandes’ shot from distance is deflected behind for a corner.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:15 , Chris Wilson
14 mins
Cancelo does well to win a goal kick off Mbappe, and Portugal have it once more, knocking around the defence between Dias, Costa and Pepe.
Neither side is really pressing, so Pepe decides to launch a hopeful ball long, but it’s too much for Leao.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:13 , Chris Wilson
12 mins
Fernandes’ delivery is wasteful, but it comes back to Costa before long.
Leao does brilliantly to flick a back-heeled pass through the legs of Kounde and into the path of Mendes, but the latter’s cross is too much for Ronaldo to get on the end of.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:10 , Chris Wilson
10 mins
Fernandes wins the first dangerous free-kick off Saliba, and – for once – Ronaldo isn’t taking! He must have read the news.
Fernandes delivers the ball in, and it comes off Kounde for a corner.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:09 , Chris Wilson
8 mins
Plenty of possession for Portugal here, but they’re not progressing it very quickly. Mendes overlaps Leao, but his cross in is blocked.
More possession for the Selecao, but they’re not bothering to probe just yet.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:06 , Chris Wilson
5 mins
Leao gets the better of Thuram down the left but it comes to nothing.
France try to mount a counter but Joao Palhinha – who’s close to a move to Bayern, according to reports – is there to intercept.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:04 , Chris Wilson
3 mins
France look the sharper of the two sides so far, but no chances of note yet.
Euro 2024: Portugal 0-0 France
20:02 , Chris Wilson
2 mins
It’s France with all the early possession, and they make the first foray into the box, but Kolo Muani is wasteful with the ball into the middle.
KICK-OFF! Portugal 0-0 France
20:01 , Chris Wilson
KICK-OFF! And we’re underway in Hamburg.
Portugal v France LIVE
20:00 , Chris Wilson
Ronaldo and Mbappe exchange the pennants and do the coin toss. Mbappe is trying to hide his excitement, and he’s doing it well.
Moments from kick-off now.
Portugal v France LIVE
19:55 , Chris Wilson
The teams are out of the tunnel and the national anthems are underway in Hamburg.
Just minutes until kick-off in the second quarter-final at Euro 2024.
You can find the reaction to the first quarter-final below, as the hosts have gone crashing out.
Spain v Germany LIVE: Result and reaction as Merino snatches 120th-minute winner
19:50 , Chris Wilson
Form guide
19:42 , Chris Wilson
Portugal (D-L-W-W)
The Selecao started the tournament in unconvincing fashion, squeezing past the Czech Republic 2-1 in their opener. They convincingly beat Turkey in their second game, before losing 2-0 to Georgia in their final game, having already qualified.
Their lasst-q6 game was a similarly torrid affair at times, with a 0-0 draw eventually being saved by Diogo Costa, who saved three penalties in a row to send his side through to the last eight.
France (W-D-D-W)
Like Portugal, France have also been unconvincing at times. They beat Austria 1-0 thanks to an own goal, before drawing 0-0 to the Netherlands when they could well have lost.
In their last group game, they drew 1-1 to Poland thanks to an Mbappe penalty, before squeezing through past Belgium into the last eight thanks to a Jan Vertonghen own goal.
Portugal v France team news
19:38 , Luke Baker
A reminder of tonight’s team news – Portugal unchanged, while Camavinga and Kolo Muani come in for Les Bleus
Portugal XI: Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Pepe, Mendes; Vitinha, Palhinha; Bernardo, Fernandes, Leão; Ronaldo
France XI: Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernández; Tchouaméni, Kanté, Camavinga; Griezmann; Kolo Muani, Mbappé
Portugal v France TV channel, start time and how to watch Euro 2024 quarter final online tonight
19:35 , Chris Wilson
Just under half an hour until kick-off, so here’s a reminder of how you can watch tonight’s game.
The game will kick off at 8pm at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg.It will be shown live on BBC One, with coverage due to start at 7.20pm BST. The game can also be streamed live via the BBC iPlay and BBC Sport app and website.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Portugal v France TV channel, start time and how to watch Euro 2024 quarter final
Head-to-head
19:27 , Chris Wilson
Portugal and France have faced off a total of 28 times, with fixtures dating as far back as 1926. In fact, the two teams had met 16 times before their first competitive meeting – a 3-2 win for France at the semi-final stage of Euro 1984, with the winner coming courtesy of Michel Platini.
Their second competitive meeting came at the same stage of Euro 2000, and once again the French ran out as winners, this time due to a 117th-minute golden goal penalty from Zinedine Zidane.
The 2006 World Cup saw another semi-final meeting between these two sides, and once again France won – Zidane again, with another penalty to break Portuguese hearts.
Portugal were certainly due some revenge, and it eventually arrived at the final of Euro 2016, when a much-fancied France team lost 1-0 thanks to an extra-time winner from Eder.
If tonight’s game has anywhere near as much drama as their previous meetings, we’re in for a treat.
Cristiano Ronaldo opens up after hitting ‘rock bottom’ following penalty miss for Portugal
19:20 , Chris Wilson
Cristiano Ronaldo hit “rock bottom” when Jan Oblak tipped an extra-time penalty onto the post, shattering both his and Portugal’s dreams in the moment.
The Portuguese captain was left tear-stained as his teammates rallied around him. The team scraped through on penalties, and on that occasion, Ronaldo did convert from the same spot he had failed to from just a quarter of an hour before hand.
“Even the strongest people have their [bad] days. I was at rock bottom when the team needed me the most,” Ronaldo said afterwards, reported by the BBC.
Ronaldo opens up after hitting ‘rock bottom’ following penalty miss for Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo is out of control and exposes Roberto Martinez’s familiar mistake
19:15 , Chris Wilson
Roberto Martinez won an army of admirers for how he reintegrated Cristiano Ronaldo into his team following a woeful World Cup in Qatar.
But like many before him, Martinez has taken his eye off the ball and the megalomaniacal ego is now out of control, causing more harm than good to Portugal’s chances of a second European Championship crown.
Monday night in Frankfurt is when it hit home for Martinez. Bringing Ronaldo back in from the cold having been frozen out by predecessor Fernando Santos in Qatar for a comfortable, hassle-free Euro 2024qualification campaign, Ronaldo pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes in the opening two group stage matches.
Ronaldo is out of control and exposes Martinez’s familiar mistake
Portugal v France team news
19:11 , Luke Baker
Taking a bit of a closer look at those team line-ups and Portugal have opted for an unchanged starting XI despite playing 120 minutes and a penalty shootout against Slovenia last time out.
Two changes for France, meanwhile. Eduardo Camavinga comes into midfield for the suspended Adrien Rabiot, while up top Randal Kolo Muani starts in place of Marcus Thuram.
Portugal v France team news
19:04 , Luke Baker
Here are the line-ups for tonight’s quarter-final:
Portugal XI: Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Pepe, Mendes; Vitinha, Palhinha; Bernardo, Fernandes, Leão; Ronaldo
France XI: Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernández; Tchouaméni, Kanté, Camavinga; Griezmann; Kolo Muani, Mbappé
Line-ups
18:42 , Chris Wilson
Team news is imminent. Will Ronaldo keep his place? How will France utilise Mbappe?
We’ll find out soon…
The France lesson behind Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Euro 2024 hopes
18:35 , Chris Wilson
Didier Deschamps needs a lone trophy to finish a unique grand slam. He has won the World Cup and the European Championships as a player, the World Cup as a manager. Euro 2024 may allow him to complete the set; he would have done so already but for Portugal and for a team that may have out-Deschampsed Deschamps.
In the eight years since Euro 2016, when Portugal won their only major trophy, against France in France, the Deschamps way has become more apparent: it isn’t necessary to excel in a group stage or to make statements with the quality of the football. Games can be won by moments, clean sheets, set pieces, unlikely figures.
The France lesson behind Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Euro 2024 hopes
France v Belgium player ratings as late Jan Vertonghen own goal settles tight Euro 2024 tie
18:25 , Chris Wilson
France edged out Belgium to advance to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals as Jan Vertonghen’s late own goal settled a tight affair in Dusseldorf.
With Belgium sat deep, France struggled mightily to create clear chances despite controlling the contest, flashing a series of finishes wide and high but never looking particularly likely to break through.
But they finally struck five minutes from time, Randal Kolo Muanireleasing a shot at the end of a fluent passing move that took a healthy piece of Vertonghen’s knee to beat Koen Casteels in the Belgian goal.
Despite a French player still being yet to score from open play in Germany, Didier Deschamps’ side move on, while Belgium bow out after another major tournament disappointment.
But how did each player perform? Here are The Independent’s player ratings:
France v Belgium player ratings as late own goal settles tight Euro 2024 tie
The piece of luck that sent dour France past Belgium and into Euro 2024 quarter-finals
18:17 , Chris Wilson
The report from France’s last game…
Of course, it wasn’t pretty. Didier Deschamps won’t care. All that matters, the French coach would strenuously argue, is that they got there. That could be said about France’s winning goal and the very 1-0 last-16 winover Belgium it decided.
After 85 minutes of what had perhaps been the worst football in this tournament – outside, maybe, some of England’s games – substitute Randal Kolo Muani tried a speculative shot that was mishit off the ground and deflected off the unfortunate Jan Vertonghen and in.
The game maybe deserved that, but it’s arguable whether France did. An otherwise sensationally talented squad made their way into the quarter-finals by dour obduracy rather than any creativity or class. It may yet take them to ultimate victory, of course, but it doesn’t make much of it memorable. The most stirring moment of the game was a tackle by Theo Hernandez on Yannick Carrasco.
The piece of luck that sent dour France past Belgium and into Euros quarter-finals
Jules Kounde’s stand against the rise of French nationalism is a piece of rare football bravery
18:10 , Chris Wilson
It could be quipped that the game against Belgium actually had to end for a French player to do anything impressive, but this is too serious an issue. What’s more, before Jules Kounde spoke in the impressive way he did, the defender had already won man of the match in his country’s 1-0 over Belgium.
He had been superb in play. He then surpassed it with his words. Kounde was asked about the first round of the French legislative election results, which look set to bring the far-right National Rally into political influence. The 25-year-old had already posted some of his thoughts on social media, which could have been an excuse to deflect questions and point to those. Kounde wasn’t going for any of that. He feels this is too important.
“I was disappointed to see the direction France is taking, with strong support for a party against our values. The far-right party, National Rally, who are against freedom and are against our co-existence. That is my political position.”
Jules Kounde’s stand against the rise of French nationalism is rare football bravery
Why is Kylian Mbappe wearing a mask for France against Belgium at Euro 2024?
18:05 , Chris Wilson
France captain Kylian Mbappe will wear a mask throughout the rest of Euro 2024 after breaking his nose during the team’s opening victory against Austria.
The superstar forward was left covered in blood after suffering the brutal injury when his face collided into the shoulder of Austria defender Kevin Danso, later leaving the stadium in an ambulance.
Subsequent tests confirmed Mbappe did not require immediate surgeryand he returned to training two days later while sporting a protective covering in the colours of the French flag, alleviating concerns that he would be ruled out of the tournament.
Why is Kylian Mbappe wearing a mask for France against Belgium at Euro 2024?
Euro 2024 Golden Boot standings: Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala and more battle to be top scorer
18:00 , Chris Wilson
Europe’s best strikers are vying for individual honours as well as team success as they aim to top the scoring charts at Euro 2024.
Footballing greats such as Antonie Griezmann, Fernando Torres, Alan Shearer and Gerd Muller are among those who have won the prestigious prize throughout the history of the Euros and the likes of Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Jamal Musiala and Romelu Lukaku are hoping to join them this time around.
Some players have got off to a fast start but others have still got plenty of work to do in order to challenge at the top of the standings as we advance through the knockout stages.
Euro 2024 Golden Boot standings: Kane, Musiala and more in contention
Euro 2024 power rankings: Rating all eight nations ahead of the quarter-finals
17:50 , Chris Wilson
Euro 2024 is heading to the quarter-finals after an entertaining start to the knockout rounds saw eight more nations exit the tournament.
Spain were the only team to collect the maximum nine points in the group phase and they continued their impressive form with a 4-1 win over Georgia. Switzerland and Germany both progressed to the quarter-finals with 2-0 wins, but it was much harder work for France, England and Portugal who respectively required a late own goal, a very late equaliser/extra-time winner and a penalty shootout to go through.
Here, we assess how every Euro 2024 nation stacks up before the quarter-finals (these rankings are revised after each round of games).
Euro 2024 power rankings: Rating all eight nations ahead of the quarter-finals
Portugal v France referee: Who is Euro 2024 official Michael Oliver?
17:35 , Mike Jones
Michael Oliver will take charge of the quarter-final between Portugal and France at Euro 2024 tonight.
Oliver, aged 39, will lead a team that includes English officials Stuart Burt, Dan Cook and David Coote, as well as Polish official Szymon Marciniak, who refereed the 2023 Champions League final.
In 2010, Oliver became the youngest ever Premier League referee at the age of 25, and he is now among the country’s leading officials. He became a Fifa-listed referee in 2012, and has since officiated at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.
See below for the officiating team in full for Portugal v France:
Portugal v France referee: Who is Euro 2024 official Michael Oliver?
Portugal v France prediction
17:25 , Chris Wilson
Didier Deschamps is prepared to make history as the French manager and will be characteristically cautious and defensive with his set-up.
Portugal will need to be canny and utilise their pace in the wide areas and creativity through the middle if they hope to hurt their opponents.
In the end France will find a way through against Portugal though it will be a hard-fought win that is likely to go to extra time. Portugal 0-1 France (after extra-time).
Early team news and predicted line-ups
17:20 , Chris Wilson
Roberto Martinez might choose to make changes to his side after a tiring 120 minutes just four days before the match.
Adrien Rabiot is suspended after picking up a yellow card, and Antoine Griezmann appears set to continue in the starting line up, after playing against Belgium.
Predicted line ups
Portugal XI: Costa, Mendes, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Palhinha, Vitinha, Rafael Leao, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo
France XI: Maignan, Hernandez, Saliba, Upamecano, Kounde, Rabiot, Tchouameni, Kante, Mbappe, Thuram, Griezmann
How to watch Portugal v France
17:10 , Chris Wilson
Portugal vs France will kick off at 8pm on Friday 5th July at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg.
The match will be shown live on BBC One, with coverage due to start at 7.20pm BST. The game can also be streamed live via the BBC iPlay and BBC Sport app and website.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Euro 2024: Portugal v France
17:05 , Chris Wilson
Portugal needed penalties to reach the quarter-finals and will face a France side who have had a more straightforward route at Euro 2024.
France squeezed through to the last eight with a late Jan Vertonghen own goal that sealed their victory against Belgium.
Portugal struggled to create openings against Slovenia and Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty, but was on target in the following shoot-out as Roberto Martinez’s side squeezed through.
France’s narrow win over Belgium might have lacked quality and excitement for large periods of the match, but France had several missed opportunities. Kylian Mbappe has not found his form since sustaining a broken nose in his side’s first game of the tournament but will have another chance against Portugal.
The game might be billed as the new generation of Mbappe against 39-year-old Ronaldo, and it is set to make for an exciting contest.
Good afternoon!
14:23 , Mike Jones
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Euro 2024 quarter-final between Portugal and France. Two nations with very similar play styles and led by global superstars in Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe.
France reached the last-eight with a 1-0 victory over Belgium despite the game being a fairly placid and unthrilling affair while Portugal needed a penalty shootout to squeeze past Slovenia.
Tonight’s match gets underway at 8pm with the winners facing either Spain or Germany whose quarter-final tie begins at 5pm. We’ll have all the team news, build-up and updates throughout the evening so stick with us.
Read the full article here