Portugal march into Euro quarters after an epic penalty shootout, Goalie Costa emerges as the hero

After defeating Slovenia in a penalty shootout, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal advanced to the European Championship quarterfinals, capping a thrilling personal drama match. The Portuguese team needed to go past their poor performances and into the quarterfinals of the European championship, therefore winning the Round of 16 match was imperative. A great deal of drama resulted from Slovakia's dogged approach, which prevented the CR7-led team from scoring in regulation time.  

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A teary-eyed Cristiano Ronaldo fails to strike as goalkeeper Diogo Costa emerges becomes a hero as Portugal advances into the semis

Portugal and Slovenia's round of 16 match at the European Championship ended in a 0-0 stalemate after ninety minutes and forced into extra time. Cristiano Ronaldo had a disappointing evening as Slovenian goalkeeper and captain Jan Oblak stopped his best scoring opportunity in the 89th minute by diving low to his left. Three free kicks from Ronaldo's optimal shooting range also ended in failure. A shot in either half narrowly missed the Slovenian crossbar, while Oblak stopped a strong effort in the 55th. Additionally, twice in the first half, the 39-year-old Portugal star missed headers on tempting crosses into the Slovenia goalmouth.

In the 62nd, Slovenian forward Benjamin Šeško squandered the best opportunity for his squad. From the halfway line, the quick 21-year-old outran 41-year-old defender Pepe to get into the Portugal area, but he missed the goal with a feeble attempt.

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It was time for the penalty shootout after extra time had resulted in a draw. Diogo Costa saved all three shoes to emerge victorious, while Ronaldo, Fernandes, and Silva all found the back of the net to guarantee their place in the quarterfinals. Portugal will now play against the Kylian Mbappe-led France in Hamburg on Friday in the quarterfinals. Anticipate a thrilling experience between both sides, who will be determined to advance further in the competition.