Breaking News
(Sports)
Euro 2016 quarter-final: Portugal qualify for semi-finals after 5-3 penalty
shootout win over Poland
July,1,2016
Portugal win in shootout
Euro cup 2016,first quarterfinal, and it promises to be a classic! Surprise
team Poland take on Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal at 3pm EST on June 30 in a
winner-takes-all game. A place in the
semifinals is at stake, but only one team will get there. Click to watch the
live stream!
CRISTIANO RONALDO’S Portugal battled their way to a place in the European
Championship last four winning a penalty shootout 5-3 against Poland in a tense
quarter-final.Teenage sensation Renato Sanches, who scored Portugal’s goal and
smashed home one of the penalties, said it was a “wonderful moment for the team
and for me for scoring”.Portugal have reached the last four without winning a
single game within 90 minutes.“People criticise us but we don’t care, because
we are in the semis,” Sanches said, after Portugal reached the semi-finals for
the fourth time in the last five European Championships.
Poland had started
strongly, with Robert Lewandowski scoring his first goal of Euro 2016 inside
two minutes in the Marseille clash before 18-year-old Sanches, his new teammate
at Bayern Munich, equalised with a powerfully driven shot. The game then went
through extra-time deadlocked at 1-1.Goalkeeper Rui Patricio and Ricardo
Quaresma were Portugal’s heroes in the shootout.Ronaldo was among the players
fist-pumping when Patricio dived to his left to save Jakub Blaszczykowski’s
tame fourth shot for the Poles, who had reached the quarter-finals for the
first time.Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with his teammate Ricardo
Quaresma.Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with his teammate Ricardo
Quaresma.
Quaresma was next up for Portugal and made no mistake firing high into
the net to beat Poland goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.“It hurts and it will hurt
for a long time,” Lewandowski said as Ronaldo celebrated taking the latest step
toward winning a first major international trophy with Portugal.Poland made a
blistering start to the game. After barely 100 seconds, Kamil Grosicki hurried
past Southampton right-back Cedric Soares to deliver a great cross that
Lewandowski drove past a flailing Rui Patricio at his near post.The Polish
striker’s first goal of the competition, after hitting a record 13 in
qualifying, stunned Portugal.The early goal gave Poland momentum, and a defiant
but borderline interception by Grzegorz Krychowiak on Sanches set Arkadiusz
Milik up for a 25-yard drive that sailed wide on the quarter hour.znvader
caught - Ronaldo hit the defensive wall with one free kick and goalkeeper
Lukasz Fabianski had no trouble with Ronaldo’s 18-yard drive from a Nani cross.
German referee Felix Brych waved away Ronaldo’s claims for a penalty on 31
minutes despite replays suggesting the Real Madrid star was bundled over by
centre-back Michal Pazdan as he went to meet a cross.Sanches made amends for
Portugal less than two minutes later with a stunning leveller on his first
start at Euro 2016.
The midfielder collected Nani’s cutback from the right side
of the area and hit a fierce shot that deflected off Grzegorz Krychowiak and
beat Fabianski at his near post.Poland’s slick passing game, however, was
impressive throughout. Kamil Glik’s long ball found Grosicki in space to fire
in a great cross at the back post that forced Patricio into action as
Lewandowski hovered.And it took a timely intervention from Jose Fonte just
after the restart to stop Lukasz Piszcek’s cutback reaching Lewandowski, who
got his head to a cross moments later that Patricio gratfeully
collected.Portugal were not finished, but Ronaldo’s normally deadly finishing
was amiss. He skewed a great chance into the side-netting from Nani’s superb
ball in behind the defence.Ronaldo, left, tries to control the ball near
Poland's Michal Pazdan.Ronaldo, left, tries to control the ball near Poland's
Michal Pazdan.On the hour, Ronaldo completely miskicked a shot after an
exchange between Joao Mario and Nani, the ball falling for Adrien Silva to
drive the ball off Krychowiak.Cedric’s 30-yard drive had Fabianski diving
dramatically to his right as the ball sailed a foot past his far post.Poland
created two chances in two minutes, Patricio notably forced down low to thwart
Milik’s mid-air effort after a cross from Artur Jedrzejczyk.But they breathed a
sigh of relied when Jedrzejczyk’s interception on Mario’s through ball for
Ronaldo crept past the far post with Fabianski rooted to the spot.Portugal
should have hit the winners on 85 minutes, but after sneaking behind Pazan to
meet a ball over the top from late substitute Joao Moutinho, Ronaldo’s left
foot failed to connect with what looked like a simple chance.Extra time was
notable more for the pitch invader who tried to reach Ronaldo than for real
scoring chances. Fourteen security personnel carried the Ronaldo fans off after
he was caught.
Comentarios: