Article by Reuters
Stade Velodrome, Marseille, Euro 2016 quarter-final - Poland 1 (Lewandowski 2) Portugal 1 (Sanches 33) - Portugal win 5-3 on penalties
Portugal are the first team into the Euro 2016 semi-finals after a penalty shoot-out win over Poland in Marseille, with the game ending 1-1 after extra-time.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lewandowski scored the opening spot-kicks for each side and Portugal were leading 4-3 when Jakub Blaszczykowski saw his spot-kick pushed around the post.
That left it to Ricardo Quaresma to send Portugal into the last four, where they will face Wales or Belgium, and he found the roof of the net in style.
Robert Lewandowski notched his first goal of the tournament after less than two minutes to put Poland in front, converting smartly from Kamil Grosicki’s cut-back from the left.
However, his new Bayern Munich team-mate Renato Sanches, handed his first international start at the age of 18, pulled Portugal back level on 32 minutes when a deflection helped his rifled effort find the corner of the net.
Ronaldo missed a golden opportunity with five minutes remaining when he swung and missed a lovely lofted ball over the top from Joao Moutinho, ensuring the match would go into extra time.
TALKING POINT
What kind of decline is Cristiano Ronaldo in? He has been crucial to his side so far, doing just enough to keep his side in the tournament, with contributions from Luis Nani and Ricardo Quaresma along the way. Regardless, he looks exhausted, and is playing like he is, too. There was an airshot, there was a failure to anticipate a cross, and there was a sliced shot into the side-netting. It seems as if Ronaldo is struggling to match his efforts for Real. Now he's well past 30, it will be tempting to speculate that this is something more - this could be decline.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Rui Patricio (Portugal): This was a tight match. None of the forwards dominated, and none of the playmakers tortured their opponents. The defence were rarely seriously threatened. Rui Patricio, then, deserves credit for keeping his calm in the shoot-out and making the only save out of the two goalkeepers during the tiebreaker.
MATCHCAST: FULL MATCH STATS AND COMMENTARY
PLAYER RATINGS
Portugal: Rui Patrício 7, Cédric 6, Pepe 6, Fonte 6, Eliseu 6, William Carvalho6, Adrien 6, João Mário 6, Sanches 7, Nani 6, Ronaldo 6. Subs: Moutinho 6, Quaresma 7, Danilo 6.
Poland: Fabianski 6, Piszczek 6, Glik 6, Pazdán 6, Jedrzejczyk 6, Blaszczykowski 5, Krychowiak 6, Maczýnski 5, Grosicki 6, Milik 6, Lewandowski 6. Subs: Kapustka 6, Jodlowiec 6.
KEY MOMENTS
2' - GOAL! Poland 1-0 Portugal. Lewandowski scores - A shock for Portugal. The Bayern man puts his side ahead within minutes. The cross comes in from the left as Cedric misses the flight of the ball, and Lewandowski clips it in low and hard.
30' - PENALTY APPEAL - Ronaldo moves towards a cross into the box, and Glik obviously shoves him over. The ref gives nothing, which is a total nonsense.
33' - GOAL! Poland 1-1 Portugal. Sanches scores - Portugal are level after coming back into the game. He drives down the right, plays a one-two with Nani just inside the box. He takes a touch to his left, and drives a shot that takes a deflection to beat Fabianksi at the near post.
64' - CEDRIC SHOT - Cedric sees the pitch open up in front of him, and from the corner of the box, 30 yards out, sends a shot whistling wide of the top right corner.
MISS! Portugal 4-3 Poland. Blaszczykowski sends his effort to the bottom right, and Patricio sticks out an arm to save.
PORTUGAL WIN! GOAL! 5-3. Quaresma drills in his effort, sending his side through to the semi-finals.
KEY STAT
At 18 years and 316 days, Renato Sanches is the youngest player to have scored in the European Championship knockout stages.
