Euros 2024 has been absolutely scintillating up until now, presenting football fans from all over the world with exciting storylines circling the matches. And one such storyline presented itself last night when Slovenia went up against Portugal in their Round of 16 tie which was a true David vs Goliath situation. Right from the starting whistle, it was pretty clear that Slovenia would try to stretch the game as much as they could and hope to make good use of their counterattacks.
Meanwhile, Portugal kept trying to find an opening through the rigid Slovenian structure only to find none, courtesy of Slovenia’s defensive mid-block masterclass. Portugal’s frontline of Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leao and their talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo were kept quiet for most of the game. The closest Portugal came to open the scoring in the first half was a Joao Palhinha outside-the-box shot which grazed Oblak’s post.
Often it is the forwards in a football team who decide the outcome of the match. They are responsible for scoring goals which are the only stats that matter at the end of the day. Hence, mostly it is the forwards who get the most recognition. They are applauded for the team’s success the most among the squad. But seldom games are decided by the men manning the goalposts. And while they might not get the recognition they deserve, one could argue that it is a position that is the most crucial in football.
Because a striker can take shots 6 shots at goal without scoring and still be applauded for scoring the 7th. But a goalkeeper cannot afford to let in even a single shot at all costs. And that’s what makes it extra special when a goalkeeper decides the course of a certain match. Or in this case, “two” goalkeepers.
The tale of the two keepers
Slovenia’s captain, Jan Oblak, plies his trade in the Spanish capital, playing for the Rojiblancos in La Liga. Currently aged 31, he is at the peak of his prowess and has been one of the, if not the best goalkeepers in the world for the past few years now. A rock for Athletico Madrid for all these years, it was only his first time leading Slovenia into a Euros knockout match. That’s because it was the first time in their history that Slovenia had even qualified for the knockouts in Euros. Being massive underdogs comes as no surprise to the country which has a population 1/5th to that of Portugal. And so, walking out on the pitch, Oblak knew that he was going to need the performance of a lifetime to keep his side afloat.
And that is exactly what it was, a performance of a lifetime. No matter how hard, or how tricky, or how elevated the shot on goal from Portugal was, Oblak’s hands were there to save it. Any cross close to the six-yard box was gobbled up by Oblak. But the spectacled save, which will headline newspapers all around the world came in the first half of Extra Time. In the 105th minute when Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take a Penalty for Portugal after Diogo Jota was fouled in the box. A man who has tormented Oblak’s Atletico Madrid had his eyes set on snatching away Oblak’s European glory. But it was not to happen yet. Oblak lept to his left and managed to get his hands on the Ronaldo penalty parrying it away to keep Slovenia in the match.
On the opposite side of the pitch stood the young 24-year-old Diogo Costa. He was standing in goal for Portugal ahead of seasoned veterans like Jose Sa and Rui Patricio. With Oblak making saves all night, Costa’s job had been mostly easy until the 115th minute, when Pepe, the 41-year-old defender, made a mistake and gave Benjamin Sesko a golden chance to put Slovenia ahead. Only man stood between Slovenia and the Quarterfinals; that man was Porto’s Diogo Costa. Stretching his left leg out instinctively, Diogo Costa managed to save Sesko’s incoming shot to save Ronaldo, Pepe and Portugal from embarrassment. But his job on the night wasn’t done yet.
Slovenia forced penalties on Portugal thanks to their 120 minutes of pure defensive masterclass. And it was here where Costa finally reached up to the echelons of greatness and achieved the “heroic” status on the night. At such a big stage, never had anyone saved three back-to-back penalties to make their team win. But Costa did exactly that. Diving to his right, left and left again, to save penalties from the Slovenian trio of Ilicic, Balkovec, and Verbic respectively. While his teammates Ronaldo, Fernandes and Silva buried their penalties taking Portugal to the next round.
While the headlines surrounding the game will all be about the missed penalties and missed 1v1s, let’s also take some time to appreciate the saved penalties and saved 1v1s as well.
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