‘Felix in free fall’ and Ronaldo ‘knocked out’ without a goal: what the international press says about Portugal’s defeat

The disappointment in Portugal is clear. The national team, which had assembled a good group of talented players, was sidelined in the quarter-finals, finishing second in the world.

Despite France’s considerable strength, Portugal fought back and only fell in the penalty shootout, where João Félix’s shot off the post ended the dream of Roberto Martinez’s side.

In France, newspapers in the victorious country emphasize the “end of the curse,” in the words of a well-known L’EquipeThe Blues beat Portugal on penalties after a perfect 5-3 session that exorcised some of the Qatari demons. [onde perderam a final do Mundial com a Argentina, na marca dos 11 metros].

Kylian Mbappe’s performance has drawn criticism from the French: “he has lost his talent.” On the other hand, goalkeeper Mike Maignan has been praised for his “imperial” play with four defenders.

Spain

In the neighbouring country, headlines naturally focus on Roja, who secured a place in the semi-finals on Friday against France. And yet the newspaper Brand Look at Portugal’s performance, which deserved more.

“A mistake by João Felix after 120 balanced minutes when Portugal deserved to go through. Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Leão missed opportunities to score in extra time,” the statement read.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s first European campaign in white is also being covered by the press that so often made the Portuguese star headline during his time at Real Madrid.

“He started scoring at Euro 2004 and ended the streak 20 years later. For life. Cristiano Ronaldo left the Euros without scoring or being substituted in his sixth and final appearance.”

“João Félix in free fall. A year to forget,” the newspaper wrote. Brandabout the Atletico Madrid player.

The emphasis on the former Benfica player, who was on loan at Barcelona last season, is echoed in AS. ‘Penalties saved the fall’ [francesa] against the best Portugal, whose sad protagonist was João Félix. A missed shot puts an end to a disastrous tournament. His country goes home and he, as always, remains under suspicion.”

ABOUT TO He was also moved by Pepe’s tears at the end of the match. “The Euro farewell, crying on Cristiano Ronaldo’s chest, hints at the 41-year-old central defender’s farewell,” they describe.

Catalan Mundo Deportivo echoes the criticism of Felix and Ronaldo and says: “France is giving Portugal its own medicine. The Gallic team won on penalties, while Diogo Costa was unable to become a hero again.”

Italy

Italian newspapers highlight Rafael Leana’s performance in ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’s last game at the European Championship’, marked by defeat for both, says Sports newspaper.

Despite the Portuguese’s confusion, you can leave with a smile: “The first half brought a smile to only one person: Paulo Fonseca. The Milan coach must have been rubbing his hands. Leão, for example, came out on the pitch with the moon in your favor.”

“Ronaldo knocked out França, but his sister posted a photo with Mbappe,” the publication writes. Corriere dello Sportwhich highlighted the tears of the Portuguese captain as he hugged Pepe.

England

“Ronaldo was kept on the sidelines for much of the cagey challenge, although both sides felt they could have won the second half of normal time. France’s Mike Maignan made two sharp saves to keep out Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha before choking Ronaldo’s heel,” it is reported. Sky Sport.

Already Sun says that while the spotlight was on strikers Mbappe and Ronaldo, all the attention was on the defence, on Frenchmen Saliba or Maignan and veteran Pepe.

Brazil

“The Portugal-France match was balanced throughout the 90 minutes of regular time. Both teams had chances to score, but the defense on both sides was superior to the attackers, managing to block shots and make several tackles at key moments of the match. Both goalkeepers also showed up punctually and with great safety to prevent the opponent from scoring,” the player describes. Globe Sport.