• Euro 2024

Portugal kept their 2024 European Championship hopes alive after a penalty shootout victory over Slovenia in the Round of 16.

The Seleção were the superior side in Frankfurt but struggled to make it count, Cristiano Ronaldo going close with a free kick and João Palhinha hitting the post on the stroke of half-time.

Chances were hard to come by in the second half as the match went to extra time. Diogo Jota won a penalty which saw Ronaldo step up, his spot kick expertly saved by Jan Oblak.

Portugal were extremely fortunate in the 115th minute after a near disaster from Pepe, Benjamin Šeško racing clear but unable to beat Diogo Costa.

The Portuguese goalkeeper took that confidence into the penalty shootout where he saved Slovenia’s first three spot kicks. Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva made no mistake to send the Seleção into the quarter-finals where they will face France.

• Euro 2024
• Roberto Martinez

Portugal boss Roberto Martínez is looking forwards to the Seleção’s Round of Last 16 clash versus Slovenia on Monday night by claiming that the real tournament “starts now”.

Cristiano Ronaldo and co. booked their passage to the next round of the competition after defeating Turkey in Matchday Two of Group F, but have been followed into their next fixture by a haunting 2-0 defeat to Georgia.

Martínez is keen to fully switch attentions to their next game versus Slovenia, however, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

Portugal and Slovenia have only encountered each other once throughout their football history, with Slovenia claiming a 2-0 friendly win against the Seleção in March of this year.

The stakes are much higher on Monday, as the sides contest a European Championships knockout clash. We take a look at what Roberto Martínez’s team can expect in Frankfurt against their unbeaten opponents.

Portugal's Euro 2024 group stage review

Ever verbose if not pedantic, ever candid if not bombastic, PortuGOAL.net’s Seleção correspondent Nathan Motz dissected every match, every player, every story, and sifted through stacks of supporter opinions. With a technical panache long since established, Nathan shares his top five lessons learned as Portugal topped Group F.

Recounting this group phase, as ever, was an immense difficulty requiring aid from PortuGOAL.net’s writing team, encouragement from the Seleção podcast’s Danny Pinto, and the respected views of this community’s most seasoned Seleção analysts.

What has been will yet be again, as the intrepid voyage of the Seleção was again epitomized by vivid and familiar themes, for better and for worse. Each beheld in various degrees during the group stage, may this squad and our hopes grow having reconciled the unpleasant, rejoiced in the exemplary, and prepared for the trial to come – the group stage is over, the knockout rounds begin!