Cristiano Ronaldo's European Championship career ended in anguish on Friday, as Portugal was eliminated from the tournament after a quarterfinal penalty shootout against France.
Kylian Mbappé, who idolises(read: worships) Cristiano Ronaldo, helped end his idol's final European Championship campaign as France defeated Portugal 5-3 in a penalty shootout following a 0-0 draw after extra time in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals.
Ronaldo, 39, scored Portugal's first penalty in the shootout, but it was not enough to prevent his team's elimination.
Theo Hernández sealed the win for France with a clinical penalty into the top corner. Mbappé, who had idolized Ronaldo since meeting him as a teenager in 2012, did not take a penalty as he was substituted during extra time due to fatigue and a couple of knocks to his broken nose.
The victory ended France's recent heartbreak in penalty shootouts, having lost in them at their last two major tournaments.
They will now face Spain in the semifinals, while Ronaldo's illustrious European Championship career, which included the title in 2016, has come to an end.
Ronaldo had long hinted that this would be his last Euros, given that he will be 43 the next time the tournament rolls around, and finally confirmed it earlier in the week. He was unable to score during Euro 2024.
He won the trophy with Portugal in 2016 — beating France in the final — the only major tournament of his international career.
It is not yet known whether he plans to carry on and try to play at the 2026 World Cup.
Portugal had already survived one penalty shootout, in its round of 16 clash with Slovenia.
In that contest, goalkeeper Diogo Costa made things easy for his teammates by saving all three Slovenia attempts.
This time, he couldn't get as much as a hand to any, as Ousmele Dembele, Youssouf Fofana, Jules Kounde, Bradley Barcola, and, to clinch it, Theo Hernandez, all struck truly.
Ronaldo's penalty was a dramatic moment. He looked to the skies, closed his eyes, took a breath, started and stopped twice during his run-up, and finally sent the ball past France's Mike Maignan.
"It is, without doubt, my last Euros," he said after an emotional night against Slovenia in the round of 16.
Ronaldo scored his first international goal at Euro 2004 as a teenager 20 years ago and won his first and only international trophy at Euro 2016.
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