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July 3, 2024
After a somewhat disappointing campaign so far, Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo will be forced to step up their game next Friday, when they clash against France in the EURO 2024 quarter-finals. Now, more than ever, the Seleção will need his captain in his vintage form...
It was evident for all to see just how much Cristiano Ronaldo wants to win the 2024 European Championships during Portugal's match with Slovenia on Monday night. CR7 had an emotional night, as he was seen crying as things clearly haven't gone his way throughout this year's tournament. The saved penalty in extra time was too much for him, as his frustration became too much and he had to let the tears flow. It didn't help to see his mother in the stands also crying when they were at the break, as this upset him even more. However, being the GOAT in so many eyes, the man dusted himself down and didn't let that stop him from being a hero for his nation as he scored their first penalty in the shootout and kept their hopes of success in what he has confirmed will be his last Euros...
Cristiano Ronaldo - 12 times he rescued Portugal:
As mentioned, it's not been CR7's tournament this year. He leads the statistics for the most shots with 20, but is yet to score a goal in the tournament. It's strange and almost unheard of to even think that he hasn't netted in the four games played thus far, but his record in major tournaments isn't great as he hasn't scored in his last seven matches.
Nonetheless, that hasn't been for the want of trying. He's looked to lead the Portugal attack the best he can and has taken responsibility upon himself to try and get the ball in the back of the net. It's important to remember that he assisted Bruno Fernandes with a goal against Turkey.
He will need to be at his very best in their quarterfinal game against France on Friday. Indeed, it wouldn't be a surprise if we did see him score a goal in this game given the type of player he is, but he will need help as there aren't many who believe the Selecão will get past Les Bleus and progress.
According to the odds that are being provided by the 32Red sportsbook, France are the favorites to win the encounter and go through in normal time. They have been provided with odds of 7/5, whereas Portugal are priced at 47/20. Les Bleus are still favorites to progress even if the game requires additional time or penalties to be decided.
While Ronaldo is going to be a big part of Portugal's plans and hopes to qualify for the next stage of the Euros and give themselves a chance to win the trophy they last won in 2016 - beating France in extra-time with an Eder strike - they can't pin all their hopes on his shoulders.
The Portugal squad is stacked with talented players and many of them know what it takes to win the biggest games. With that said, Ronaldo may not have been producing on the pitch in the way that is expected, but there's no reason not to think he hasn’t been having an influence in other ways.
In the dressing room, you can guarantee that he is an inspirational leader and one that continually motivates his teammates to do as well as they can. We've seen it in the past, with the Euro 2016 final being one prime example. After being injured in the first half and leaving the field in emotional circumstances, he returned to the bench alongside his manager and encouraged his teammates to victory.
In the Round of 16 tie against Slovenia, you could see that his teammates still believe in him as some of them rallied around him when he was at his lowest. This will have helped him in terms of his confidence when it came to stepping up to take the first penalty in the shootout and putting it away with aplomb.
Given the stature of the tie to be played on Friday, it wouldn't be unwise to think that this could be the end of Cristiano Ronaldo at the European Championships. However, both teams can be accused of not playing their best.
France haven't played all that well this summer, managing to scrape by and finishing a group second when they were expected to walk it. Portugal's defeat to Georgia was a shock, but it wasn't their first team.
Anything can happen when the two sides meet, but it could be the end of CR7 at the Euros if it doesn't go his way once again...
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Portugal is on July 5, against France for the EURO 2024. You can watch Portugal vs France, Uruguay vs Brazil, Spain vs Germany, England vs Switzerland, Netherlands vs Turkey and Argentina vs Ecuador, all matches provided from our soccer football game pages.
Portugal next game:
Portugal vs France kick-off time (05-07-2024):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 03:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:30
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+3: 22:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-6: 13:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / reuters.com / lemonde.fr
