Poland 1 (3-5) 1 Portugal, Goals Euro 2016

Portugal sealed their place in the semi-finals as they beat Poland 5-3 on penalties. The two sides cancelled each other out after a lively first-half that promised much but petered out into a tight and tense affair. Lewandowski gave Poland a dream start as Grosicki, a constant menace from the left, sent in an inch-perfect cross for the Bayern striker to end his seven-game drought and slide the ball past Rui Patricio.

The early strike set the stage for an exciting, end-to-end half full of attacking intent. Renato Sanches, who was given the nod to start in the Portuguese midfield, produced the moment of the half and topped off an impressive display with a left-footed effort that curled past Fabianski, albeit with a slight deflection.

Despite both sides looking to stamp their authority on the tie, the game began to follow a familiar pattern marked out in the previous round, where both were taken into extra-time. Poland went all the way to penalties as they beat Switzerland, while Portugal almost stared at the same fate but for a last-gasp Quaresma winner. The evening took on an air of inevitability, despite both sides’ best efforts to avoid the shootout, and Cristiano Ronaldo in particular had a number of efforts he surely would have put away in days gone by.

Blaszczykowski missed the crucial penalty for the Poles and it was left to Quaresma to slam the ball into the roof of the net and send Fernando Santos’s men into the semi-finals without actually winning a game in 90 minutes at Euro 2016.

Source: en.as.com