Portugal v France Summary

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June 24th 2021, 12:19 pm
Last Updated 3 years ago
England v Denmark Summary

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On a day that contained a record number of goals on any given day in EURO history, Portugal and France played out a highly entertaining 2-2 draw as both teams progressed to the round of 16.

In a game that saw three penalties awarded, it was Cristiano Ronaldo versus Karim Benzema with the ex-Real Madrid colleagues ending the contest tied on two goals apiece.

It was Portugal that drew first blood after half an hour as Hugo Lloris was adjudged to have fouled Danilo and it was no surprise that Ronaldo stepped up to slot home the opening goal.

France were far from their best but hit back at a key time just before the break. They earned their own penalty this time and it was Karim Benzema who converted to score his first goal for France since October 2015.

If the goal two minutes into first half injury time was a good time, the second French goal two minutes into the second half may have been even better. A glorious through ball from Paul Pogba set Benzema clean through and he slotted home beautifully.

Portugal must have been wondering how they had found themselves behind at this stage but they remained firmly in the contest. On the hour mark, Ronaldo’s cross was handled by Koundé and he stepped up once again to level things up for his side.

The goal itself was something of a landmark for the 36-year-old as it ties him level with Iran legend Ali Daei for the all-time international goalscoring record with 109 goals. It is clearly just a matter of time before he surpasses that figure on this form.

The remaining minutes played out with lower intensity levels as both teams appeared content to draw the game and ensure events in the Germany v Hungary encounter could not affect their qualification. France now move on to face Switzerland while Portugal have a tough test against Belgium in the round of 16.