Portugal has squeezed past a gallant Polish team to advance to the semi-finals of Euro 2016, where it awaits the winner of the Belgium-Wales quarter final to be played on Saturday morning.
A penalty shoot-out was needed to decide the tie, after both teams finished extra time at 1-1 in the Thursday night match at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
Poland made a bright start to the match when captain and talisman Robert Lewandowski wasted little time in scoring his first goal of the tournament within two minutes of the start of play. He showed his fine goal scoring instincts to produce an excellent first-time shot from a Kamil Grosicki cross after Portuguese full back Cedric misjudged the bounce of the ball.
Lewandowski’s goal gave the Poles the confidence to continue attacking, and with Lewandowski as a focal point they continued to threaten the Portuguese defence.
In contrast, Portugal took a while to get going but worked itself into the contest as it gradually started to control possession better and looked for a way through a solid Polish defence through interchange of forwards and attacking midfielders. One of those midfielders, 18-year-old Renato Sanches, combined with Nani to create the Portuguese equaliser in the 33rd minute. Sanches fired home his left foot shot from 20 metres for his first ever international goal. It’s little surprise Bayern Munich has snapped up the prodigiously talented youngster.
Chances were scarce for both sides in the second half, during which both teams took fewer risks as it progressed. Portuguese coach Santos deployed the creative Sanches in a wider position in the second half, where he had less influence on Portugal’s build up play. Poland’s Lewandowski also saw less of the ball in the second half, forcing him to drop deeper.
Polish striker Milic had his team’s best chance of the second half when his header forced a good save down low from Portuguese keeper Rui Patricio. At the other end, Ronaldo hit the side netting with an effort and then missed the ball entirely when a Moutinho chip found him in space in behind the Polish back four.
Extra time failed to break the stalemate as both teams seemed content to take the match to penalties without troubling the keepers.
Ronaldo scored from the first penalty of the shootout, and it was goal for goal until Poland’s fourth penalty taker and one of its brightest lights of the tournament Jakub Blaszczykowski had his shot saved by keeper Patricio with a fine save to his left.
Portuguese sub Ricardo Quaresma then stepped up to slot home the winning penalty which broke Polish hearts and sent Portuguese hearts rejoicing.