Portugal coach: Ronaldo guided us towards “victory”

Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa played what he called “the best game of my life” after leading his country to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 Germany by beating Slovenia 3-0 on penalties after a goalless draw in regular and extra time on Monday in Frankfurt.

The brilliant goalkeeper also commented on the team captain Ronaldo’s missed penalty kick, which made him cry, while coach Martinez said: “If I am sure, he must be the first to take (in the penalty shootout) and guide us on our way to victory.”

In turn, the Saudi Al-Nassr star said: “It was (a difficult match). We did not expect extra time and penalty kicks, but this is football. Some things happen when you do not expect them.”

On continuing to perform at the highest level despite his 39 years, Ronaldo said: “It comes from enthusiasm. Continuing to enjoy by continuing to play football and making the fans happy. That’s all there is to it, that’s our life.”

• “Everyone is proud of our leader”

Portugal’s Spanish coach Roberto Martinez said Ronaldo’s feelings showed what his sixth participation in the continental finals meant to him, despite his long and bright career.

“These feelings are unbelievable for someone who has done so much, and that’s why I thank him,” Martinez said. “Only those who take penalties miss them. I was sure he had to be the first to take them and guide us on our way to victory.”

“Everyone is very proud of our captain. He gives us all a lesson, which is to have really high standards and never give up,” he continued.

Martinez also praised Costa, saying the goalkeeper is “a well-kept secret in Portuguese football”, adding “I have worked with many goalkeepers and he is one of the best”, considering that the key is “his maturity, his experience, and now we are benefiting from his performances”.

Martinez hopes Costa will continue his brilliance when the European “Seleção” faces Kylian Mbappe and his teammates from the French national team, the runner-up of the World Cup, in the quarter-finals, which is a repeat of the 2016 final, when Portugal won its first and only title by beating “Les Bleus” in front of their fans 1-0 after extra time.

The Porto goalkeeper was the undisputed hero of the match after saving all three penalties taken by Slovenia through substitute Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovic and another substitute Benjamin Verbić, while Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva scored for the 2016 champions.

The 26-year-old’s brilliance was not limited to penalty kicks, as he made a brilliant intervention in the second half of extra time to stop Benjamin Shishko from finding himself alone after a defensive error.

“I think it was probably the best game of my life, maybe the game where I was the most useful. I trusted my instincts. Of course we analysed the takers (in the penalty shootout), but players change their minds and change the way they take the kicks,” Costa said of his performance in Frankfurt on Monday.

“I had to follow my instincts, that’s what I felt. I’m very happy to be able to help the team,” he continued.

Costa said he tried to anticipate what Shesko would do in the decisive save the Portuguese goalkeeper made in the final seconds of the second half of extra time in a match that Portugal could have won before reaching penalty kicks, but Ronaldo missed a penalty kick at the end of the first half of extra time.

“I said to myself: I have to stop it, I will do my best, I tried to read his body language and fortunately I was able to help the team, and that was the most important thing,” Koshta continued about his save from Shesko.

Costa was pleased that Ronaldo kept his composure after the missed penalty that left him in tears and scored his spot kick, saying: “We all felt that we needed to keep believing, me and Cristiano, everyone makes mistakes, but the most important thing is what we do after those mistakes.”

“We need to believe in ourselves and that’s what we did. Now we are all very happy and we are all friends,” he continued.

The two teams met three times after that, including two in the group stage of the European Nations League when they drew 0-0 in France before “Les Bleus” won the second leg away from home 1-0 in 2020.

The two teams met in the group stage of the last edition in the summer of 2021, when they tied with two goals for Ronaldo and two goals for his former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema.

For Slovenia, who reached the last 16 for the first time in only their second appearance at the finals since independence from Yugoslavia, coach Matjaj Kek saw what the team achieved in Germany as a springboard for more future success.

“We feel bitterness, but on the other hand there is a lot of sweetness,” said Kek, who was sent off for protesting a penalty awarded to Portugal. “We hope this tournament will be a starting point for the future of Slovenian football.”

“Based on what we set as our goal for this tournament, I think we exceeded expectations. This is the reality of Slovenian football. The players are disciplined, motivated and driven. They love the logo (on the shirt) and, in the end, they have quality,” he continued.