Key events
72 min: Good news for Adam Kent Ibanez (65 min) but not for Portugal, as Ronaldo hoicks the free kick harmlessly over the bar, and cops a load of abuse from Slovenia’s highly amused fans.
71 min: João Cancelo takes matters into his own hands and bombs down the right after his own ball. His low cross nearly finds Bernardo Silva but is hacked clear. However Stojanović then clumsily clanks into Nuno Mendes, and it’s a free kick in a centra position, the best part of 30 yards out. It’s time for some more Mr CR7.
69 min: Portugal continue to show patience. The pace of this match has dropped considerably.
67 min: A couple of flares have gone off and smoke is billowing across the pitch, all adding to the eerie atmosphere. Both sets of fans are getting very nervous as this match approaches The Crunch.
65 min: Portugal make the first change of the evening. Vitinha is replaced by Diogo Jota. “What are you talking about, Scott?” begins Adam Kent Ibanez, using a sequence of words I’ve heard many a time before. “These Ronaldo free kicks are useless! If I were one of the players who actually scores from free kicks, like Bruno Fernandes, I’d be absolutely fuming. It’s a sure sign that Martinez has no control over the team, true to form. And, true to form, Ronaldo will of course score a free kick now to spite me.”
64 min: Portugal calm things down with some sterile possession in the midfield. “I liked the vuvuzelas too as drones can be calming and urgent simultaneously,” writes Charlie Bird. “Think Bagpipe Pibroch music and there is always this. Let there be Drone.”
62 min: Šeško knocks the ball past Pepe and backs himself in a footrace. He wins it – just – but Pepe sticks to him closely enough to interfere, and though Šeško finds himself one on one with Diogo Costa, he’s rushed, and dinks a poor effort across the keeper and wide right. A huge chance for Slovenia!
60 min: Balkovec throws in long from the Slovenia left flank. The ball drops to Čerin, who slices a wild attempt yards wide from the edge of the box. Slovenia are having to soak up plenty of pressure, but they look capable of causing problems up the other end whenever they make it up there.
58 min: … the ball’s worked back to Vitinha, whose shot from the edge of the box is blocked by Šporar’s chest. Portugal turning up the heat a wee bit here.
57 min: João Cancelo is causing all sorts of problems down the right. First he jinks and jigs and nearly sets up João Palhinha, who is crowded out by Slovenia’s staunch defensive squad; then he wins a corner. From which …
55 min: Ronaldo takes a long run-up and sends a vicious swerving shot goalwards. Either side of Oblak and it’s surely flying in, but it’s in the keeper’s range and he parries with two strong wrists. The ball pings away from danger. What an effort, though. That’s Ronaldo’s third direct free kick tonight: it’s now two excellent to the one preposterous.
54 min: João Cancelo latches onto a loose ball on the edge of the Slovenian D, and is immediately clipped by Čerin. Free kick coming up in Ronaldo Country.
52 min: Stojanović stands his ground against Ronaldo, and the pair exchange pleasantries. It’s the first time tonight that Ronaldo has looked anywhere near as agitated as he was against Georgia.
51 min: Šeško slips a cute ball down the inside-right channel for Šporar, who attempts to round Diogo Costa but is pushed out too far wide right. Šporar checks and the ball’s crossed back in for Šeško, who sends a strange looping header over the keeper and inches wide of the left-hand post. Diogo Costa had it covered, but for a second, Portugal’s hearts were in mouths.
49 min: Slovenia hit it long and win a corner. The set piece is hit long, too, and Elšnik extends a leg in the hope of guiding a shot into the bottom left corner. He can’t get proper purchase on the shot, and Diogo Costa claims easily. A brisk start to the second half by both sides.
47 min: João Cancelo twists and turns his way down the right, as far as the corner of the six-yard box. But his shot-cum-cross is blocked. The ball deflects back to João Palhinha, who sends a first-time shot miles over the bar.
46 min: The atmosphere right now at the Waldstadion can probably be best described as pensive. Almost as though everyone’s suddenly realised the business end of the tournament is within touching distance. “It might end up the same way for Slovenia as it did for Belgium,” begins Nathan Vadnjal, “but you can see they have a plan to win in the 90 minutes which can’t be said for the Belgium team with all their talent.”
Slovenia get the second half underway. No changes. A reminder that we could go to extra time and penalties, and that the winner of this match will play a quarter-final against France in Hamburg on Friday evening.
Half-time entertainment. “Have to disagree with a fellow Peter’s assessment,” writes Peter Harmon of his namesake, Mr Oh of 15th-minute fame. “The vuvuzela gave the 2010 World Cup a hypnotic pulse, an immersive Terry Riley football soundtrack!”
HALF TIME: Portugal 0-0 Slovenia
And that’s that. It’s been a fun game, this. Both teams will be happy enough, Portugal having fizzed with creativity, Slovenia defending staunchly with flashes of danger of their own. More, please!
45 min +2: Rafael Leão jigs his way past Drkušić with absurd ease on the left. As Drkušić slides around the penalty area on his nipples, Leão cuts back for João Palhinha, who from the edge of the D sends a low drive pinging off the outside of the left-hand post.
45 min: Nope. The corner’s whipped to the near post, where Bijol eyebrows harmlessly wide. There will be two minutes of additional time.
44 min: Šporar cushions a header down for Šeško, who strides purposefully towards the Portuguese box. Šeško shoots straight at Diogo Costa. Easy for the keeper. Šeško then comes again down the left, and his presence helps Slovenia win a corner. A smash-and-grab end to the first half upcoming?
42 min: It’s been an entertaining game. The pace drops for the first time this evening; the players have earned their mini-breather. “The Portuguese team seems to be focused on making chances for Ronaldo at this tournament, even when other players appear better poised to score,” opines Kári Tulinius. “This is oddly reminiscent of the third-place playoff at the 1994 World Cup, when Stoichkov was one goal away from going top in the golden boot rankings, and Bulgaria cared not one whit that Sweden scored four, and only tried to create opportunities for their star striker.”
40 min: Slovenia nearly punish Ronaldo for his indulgence by breaking up the other end, Mlakar making good up the right and nearly teeing up Šporar with a cut-back. Nuno Mendes hacks out for a corner, just in time, and the resulting set piece is a non-event. Had Slovenia scored there, you can bet Roberto Martinez would have had something to say about Ronaldo’s waste of a free kick moments before.
38 min: Ronaldo cheekily repositions the ball in the hope of making a better angle for a direct shot at goal. The referee moves the free kick back. Ronaldo laughs, then hoicks a direct effort out of play for a goal kick. It was a ridiculous angle to attempt to score from, bordering on the self-indulgent, but he’s got plenty of credit in the bank, to be fair.
37 min: Rafael Leão has been teasing Karničnik down this left flank all evening, and now his in-flight juggle forces the Slovenia man into a cynical handball. Had he not scooped that, Leão would have been away. A booking and a free kick.
36 min: Vitinha takes the corner short, one-twoing with Bernardo Silva. Vitinha, the angle changed, whips an inswinger towards the far post. Ronaldo, seeing it late, mistimes his jump again and the chance to plant a header home from six yards sails out for a goal kick. Ronaldo wears a look of great frustration, but he’s been thoroughly entertaining tonight from the get-go.
35 min: Rafael Leão goes on another power sashay down the left. Another corner. Vitinha to take.
34 min: Ronaldo opens his legs, takes a little jump, then whips a vicious curler towards the top-right corner. Inches over. Such a fine effort! Even so, Oblak may have got a fingertip to it, had it been on target. But Portugal are getting closer and closer.
33 min: Rafael Leão accelerates down the inside-left channel, drawing a foul from Drkušić, just to the left of the D. Drkušić goes into the book. Free kick in a very dangerous position coming up. The CR7-branded eyes light up.
31 min: Nuno Mendes creams a long diagonal ball towards Bruno Fernandes, who has the opportunity to burst clear down the inside-right channel but again can’t keep his feet. No matter, as Portugal come again, Ronaldo meeting a cross from the right and heading it straight at Oblak.
29 min: Bruno Fernandes slips as he attempts to get something going down the inside-right channel, but wins a corner anyway as the ball clanks off a defender. Bernardo Silva’s delivery fails to beat the first man. Portugal try again, and this time Pepe jumps arse-first into Oblak, an egregious foul with no attempt to play the ball, and one that the keeper finds wryly amusing.
27 min: João Cancelo crosses deep from the right. Ronaldo’s presence wins a corner at the far post. Nothing comes of the set piece. Slovenia don’t look totally secure in dealing with these balls raining in from the right.
25 min: The ball breaks to Bruno Fernandes, on the left-hand corner of the Slovenia box. He sends a screeching, dipping half-volley straight at Oblak. Then the whistle goes, João Palhinha adjudged to have handled earlier in the sequence. It’s a harsh decision, the ball having hit his shoulder, but the shot didn’t go in, so at least it hasn’t ruled out a legitimate goal.
23 min: Slovenia will be pleased with the way in which they’re slowly getting into this game. Nuno Mendes might not be so happy, though, as once again he’s clattered, this time by Šporar, and he grimaces quite a lot again.
21 min: Šporar tries to release Šeško into the Portugal box down the inside-right channel. Šeško isn’t on the same page, though, and curves his run elsewhere. Šporar cocks his head back in frustration; Portugal were a bit light at the back there. An opportunity spurned.
19 min: Stojanović goes sliding in on Nuno Mendes. A 50-50 that he wins, ball first, though his opponent goes down afterwards, ostensibly in severe pain. Portugal want a yellow card, but the referee sees nothing wrong with the challenge. Good call, and Nuno Mendes is back up on his feet quickly enough.
17 min: Šporar, Šeško and Mlakar chase a long pass in the hunt-in-pack style. Vitinha does exceptionally well to hold off the three-pronged attack in a last-ditch one-man stand.
15 min: “This match will feature my second least-favourite football stadium crowd sound: teenage Cristiano Ronaldo shriek,” writes Peter Oh. “Tied for first place: vuvuzela drone and offensive chants.” And indeed Ronaldo got the crowd screaming a couple of minutes ago with some old-school showboating, juggling the ball five times while under pressure from behind. The skill led to absolutely nothing, but that’s not really the point. Neither did Jim Baxter’s keepy-uppy strut at Wembley in 1967, and we’re still talking about that more than half a century later.
13 min: Bernardo Silva cuts in from the right and sends a sensational cross swinging towards the far post. Ronaldo mistimes his jump, six yards out, and misses his header. Everyone was waiting for the net to bulge. Bruno Fernandes can’t rescue the situation, sliding in just behind him. Goal kick. What a cross, though.
12 min: Portugal stroke the ball around the back in the patient style. Slovenia content to sit back and let them do it.
10 min: Another Portugal corner, this time won by Bruno Fernandes on the left. It’s hit long again, and Pepe tries to make a nuisance of himself at the far post, but nothing comes of it. Portugal will be happy enough with the start they’ve made to this match.
8 min: Ronaldo enters the box down the inside-left channel and for a second looks as though he’ll be taking a shot. But the ball gets stuck under his feet, allowing Drkušić to ease him off it and away from danger.
7 min: Bruno Fernandes is brought down by Drkušić out on the left flank. Vitinha hits it long. Pepe can’t keep it in at the far post. Oblak claims it anyway, just in case.
5 min: The corner’s hit long from the left and finds Rúben Dias at the far post. Dias slashes a first-time shot into the side netting, then looks down at the pitch by way of theatrical explanation. It’s cutting up already.
4 min: Bernardo Silva loops a cross in from the right. It’s too high for Ronaldo, but nearly drops for Rafael Leão, six yards out and level with the far stick. Karničnik does exceptionally well to hook it away from danger just in time, and out for a corner.
2 min: Stojanović dinks a ball forward in the hope of finding Šporar on the edge of the Portuguese box. Nuno Mendes hooks clear. Otherwise, a quiet start, so here’s some further detail regarding that Slovenian pennant. “The trinket is graphical representation of Triglav (Three-head), the highest mountain in the Julian Alps,” writes Matjaz Hribar. “It’s part of Slovenian folklore but also part of the Slovenian coat of arms.”
Before kick-off, a moment of silence in memory of former Portugal and Sporting Lisbon striker Manuel Fernandes, who died last week at the age of 73. Then his compatriots get the ball rolling.
The teams are out! Portugal in red, Slovenia in white. A first-choice delight. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Waldstadion – the Forest Stadium, surrounded as it is by trees – crackles with anticipation. Songs are sung in the keys of E-flat major and B-flat major – the Portuguese and Slovenian anthems respectively. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!
Pennant Watch™. Welcome to the latest edition of the occasional feature that only runs when your jaded MBM hack has run out of things to say. Again. The trinket Jan Oblak will hand over to his opposite number Cristiano Ronaldo features a graphical representation of the Alps, which stretch from Monaco to Slovenia. A sky-scraping nine out of ten, with one mark having been docked as a quick glance could mistake the Alp for the Fiorentina badge.
There’s no pic available of the pennant Ronaldo will be gifting Oblak, so here’s the one he gave to Tomáš Souček ahead of the Czechia game. Now that’s a font. No lazy cut-and-pasting-of-Helvetica culture in the FPF design studio.
Last time out. Portugal’s previous game was the Georgia defeat, but as we’ve already mentioned, that one registers a top score of 11 on our fully copyrighted Apples-and-Oranges-o-meter™. So instead let’s relive what happened the last time this particular Portuguese XI took to the field …
… while also reacquainting ourselves with this footballing clinic.
Only three Portuguese players keep their place in the starting XI after the 2-0 defeat to Georgia: Cristiano Ronaldo, João Palhinha and Diogo Costa. However Roberto Martinez had sent out most of his second string for that match, so perhaps it’s more instructive to compare this team to the one that dispatched Türkiye 3-0 … and it’s exactly the same XI. If it ain’t broke, huh.
Slovenia make just one change to the side that eked out a goalless draw with England. Erik Janža is suspended so Jure Balkovec replaces him at left-back.
The teams
Portugal: Costa, Joao Cancelo, Dias, Pepe, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Joao Palhinha, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Leao, Ronaldo.
Subs: Rui Patricio, Nelson Semedo, Dalot, Goncalo Ramos, Joao Felix, Jose Sa, Danilo Pereira, Inacio, Joao Neves, Matheus Luiz, Ruben Neves, Jota, Silva, Pedro Neto, Francisco Conceicao.
Slovenia: Oblak, Karnicnik, Drkusic, Bijol, Balkovec, Stojanovic, Cerin, Elsnik, Mlakar, Sporar, Sesko.
Subs: Blazic, Stankovic, Verbic, Lovric, Belec, Kurtic, Horvat, Vekic, Vipotnik, Celar, Brekalo, Zugelj, Zeljkovic, Ilicic.
Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy).
Preamble
Portugal have won the European Championship once, contested the final twice, and made it to the semis on five occasions. They dispatched Czechia and Türkiye in the group stage before sending a second string out to defeat against Georgia, and are many a pundit’s tip for another deep run this time round. Slovenia by contrast have never won a game at a Euro finals, coming bottom of their group at Euro 2000 and squeaking through to the knockouts this year with three draws.
On the face of it, then, this should be a shoo-in for hot favourites Portugal. However there’s the small matter of a 2-0 defeat to the Slovenians in Ljubljana last March, a result Bruno Fernandes insists will prove beneficial and educational. And in any case, the round of 16 has already seen the Swiss beat Italy, Slovakia come within 86 seconds of dispatching England, Georgia taking the lead against Spain, and Denmark finding themselves the width of a toenail away from leading the hosts Germany. So nobody’s had it easy, and Slovenia – who were denied a first Euros win against Serbia in the 95th minute, after all – will fancy their chances of causing some status-usurping trouble of their own. Kick off in Frankfurt is at 8pm BST. It’s on!
