Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa stopped three penalties in the penalty shootout against Slovenia, after Cristiano Ronaldo had missed one in extra time, to lead his team into the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 following an exciting night in Frankfurt.
Slovenia, the lowest-ranked team remaining in the tournament, fought their way through a goalless 90 minutes and had a close chance through Benjamin Sesko.
Ronaldo – who failed to score from several free-kicks – then took a penalty in the first half of extra time, but goalkeeper Jan Oblak made an impressive save with a full dive.
Sesko had a chance to secure the win for Slovenia after a mistake from veteran defender Pepe, but Costa made a fantastic block.
Porto goalkeeper Costa saved all three of Slovenia's initial penalty kicks, with Ronaldo scoring his, before Bernardo Silva from Manchester City scored the winning penalty, setting up a quarter-final clash against France in Hamburg on Friday.
Seeking redemption after a surprising loss to Georgia in their last Group F match, Portugal made a strong start.
Rafael Leao's impressive run was stopped by a tackle from Vanja Drkusic at the edge of the penalty area. Ronaldo then missed a free-kick just over the crossbar, and Joao Palhinha's shot from 18 yards narrowly missed the post.
Early in the second half, Ronaldo had another chance with a free-kick around 20 yards out, but his shot was saved by Oblak.
Slovenia reached the Euros knockout stage for the first time after a series of hard-fought draws in Group C, including holding England to a draw.
Despite facing immense pressure, Matjaz Kek's team tried to counter-attack Portugal, with Sesko making a dangerous run down the left side – yet Pepe managed to disrupt his shot.
With only two minutes remaining, substitute Diogo Jota set up Ronaldo in the Slovenia area, but Oblak saved his shot as the game headed to extra time.
Portugal earned a penalty in the 105th minute when Jota was fouled by Drkusic in the penalty area.
Ronaldo took the penalty aiming for the bottom right corner, but Oblak pulled off a remarkable save to push the ball onto the post.
After the penalty miss, Ronaldo was emotional and had to be comforted by his teammates before returning for the final 15 minutes, while Slovenia coach Kek received a red card and watched the rest of the game from the stands.
A defensive error from Pepe allowed Sesko to break through on goal, but Costa came out quickly to make a crucial save with his leg.
The game proceeded to a penalty shootout where Costa made a strong start by saving Josip Ilicic's penalty, followed by Ronaldo scoring and Fernandes converting calmly.
Incredible Costa saved another shot, denying Benjamin Verbic, before Silva secured the win with his penalty kick, resulting in a 3-0 victory in the shootout and sparking jubilant celebrations among the team, led by Ronaldo.