Game 42: Portugal vs Slovenia live from the Frankfurt Arena. BBC1 8pm

[Coulthard's Jaw]

Possible line-ups

Portugal: Diogo Costa; Cancelo, Rúben Dias, Pepe, Nuno Mendes; Palhinha, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes; Rafael Leão, Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Ronaldo, Francisco Conceição, João Palhinha, Pedro Neto, Rúben Neves

Slovenia: Oblak; Karničnik, Drkušić, Bijol, Balkovec; Stojanović, Elšnik, Gnezda Čerin, Mlakar; Šporar, Šeško
Suspended: Janža
Misses next match if booked: Bijol, Celar, Stojanović, Vipotnik

Portugal are big favourites against Slovenia, winning 65.4% of pre-match simulations according to the Opta supercomputer.

Road to the last 16

It's Ronaldo time again

 

[GunmaN1905]

 

[Rebs]

I'd love Slovenia to win but I think Portugal take this quite easily.

[CFuller]

Heart says Slovenia. Head says don't be ridiculous.

Portugal to bounce back from their last game and breeze through 3-0.

[Lermon]

Quote

Slovenia have averaged just 32% possession so far - the third lowest such total of a team progressing from the group stage of a Euros behind Iceland at Euro 2016 (29%) and Sweden in Euro 2020 (30%).

So they're going to let Portugal play and see if they got the magic to break through them. Hopefully Portugal get an early goal to stuff them up.

 

Edited July 1 by Lermon

[Constantine]

9 minutes ago, InigoPatinkin said:

That Portugal squad is absolutely stacked everywhere but up front. If only they produced strikers. 

They have decent strikers. It's just that Ronaldo HAS to play and there's no one in there with the balls to tell him no.

[GunmaN1905]

SIIIIIIIIIII after he scores a penalty for 3-0 will be amazing.

[Haguey]

Hopefully the Portuguese team from the Georgia game turn up but I can't see them being that bad again

[Constantine]

2 minutes ago, Haguey said:

Hopefully the Portuguese team from the Georgia game turn up but I can't see them being that bad again

Especially since that was fully rotated side...

[GunmaN1905]

Wait...Roberto Martinez is already signing Portugese anthem? He hasn't even been there for two years.

[CFuller]

That mascot during the Slovenian anthem. 🤘

[av3ry]

Is it me or did the Portuguese anthem sound a bit like Ireland's anthem at the end?

[noikeee]

Just now, GunmaN1905 said:

Wait...Roberto Martinez is already signing Portugese anthem? He hasn't even been there for two years.

He speaks Portuguese surprisingly decent. I guess it's because it's somewhat more similar to Catalan (which he is) than to Castillian Spanish

[CFuller]

Just now, GunmaN1905 said:

Wait...Roberto Martinez is already signing Portugese anthem? He hasn't even been there for two years.

He's actually Robert O'Martinez signing the (very similar) Irish anthem. 

[GunmaN1905]

1 minute ago, noikeee said:

He speaks Portuguese surprisingly decent. I guess it's because it's somewhat more similar to Catalan (which he is) than to Castillian Spanish

To me signing the anthem isn't about the language, but feeling like a member of the nation.

I guess he really likes it in Portugal, good for him.

[EnterUsernameHere]

Terrible touch.

[DJ]

First dive by Penaldo ^^

[EnterUsernameHere]

"he's lost none of his sharpness" as he loses the ball twice in a minute with a poor touch.

[Baptista_8]

Ronaldo having a shocker. Desperate to blame the shove for his awful touch two seconds before it

[Baptista_8]

Just now, EnterUsernameHere said:

"he's lost none of his sharpness" as he loses the ball twice in a minute with a poor touch.

Is that what they said? I'm cooking and assumed they'd said has lost some of his sharpness. Christ

[GunmaN1905]

Why is Martinez persisting with this three CB nonsense and Mendes playing narrow?

Then put an actual CB there, ffs.

And remove Palhinha because you have three CBs.

[Pukey]

I think the main thing I want from this tournament is Ronaldo to not score

[Orzelek]

Ronaldo would've claimed it was his goal, if Bruno had kicked it in  

[GunmaN1905]

6 minutes ago, DJ said:

First dive by Penaldo ^^

There's two.

[Darius1998]

Imagine if Pepe scores and blocks any chance of him getting the oldest scorer record.

Edited July 1 by Darius1998

[Orzelek]

Just now, Darius1998 said:

Imagine Pepe scores and blocks any chance of him getting the oldest scorer record.

 

That will just motivate him to stick around for four years more  

[Darius1998]

1 minute ago, Orzelek said:

 

That will just motivate him to stick around for four years more  

A 43 year old Cristiano starting every game would be pretty funny.

[noikeee]

7 minutes ago, GunmaN1905 said:

Why is Martinez persisting with this three CB nonsense and Mendes playing narrow?

Then put an actual CB there, ffs.

And remove Palhinha because you have three CBs.

He's playing leftback today

[Pukey]

Slovenia really don't have any attacking threat at all do they? Done alright and got into decentish positions and played dreadful passes or messed it up in some other way.

[DJ]

Sneaky fist by the Criminal into the goalie. SCUM

[craigcwwe]

This is poor from Portugal. Only one shot in half an hour. 

[EnterUsernameHere]

Ronaldo is killing any move that goes his way.

[CFuller]

Just now, craigcwwe said:

This is poor from Portugal. Only one shot in half an hour. 

Insert obvious quip about England here. 

[GunmaN1905]

11 minutes ago, noikeee said:

He's playing leftback today

When I made the post, the entire defense moved all the way to the right while not being pressured.

 

[RTHerringbone]

This game is fantastic 😍 

[GunmaN1905]

Another cinematic performance before a free-kick.

[Astafjevs]

Seems weird to say, and he'll probably score now and make me look a mug, but they're wasting a good generation here by continuing with Ronaldo.

I get the alternative is Ramos who's not amazing, but they're a better team overall. Could even go with Jota through the middle who's done well there for Liverpool 

[CFuller]

That was a 99-in-100 free-kick from Ronaldo.

[Bliss Seeker]

Leão runs with such a huge grin on his face. He's looks like a cartoon character 

Edited July 1 by Bliss Seeker

[Darius1998]

Closest he's got from a free kick in about 4 years.

[Darren Moores Mum]

"Does he get anywhere near that...no" as it shows the keeper getting near it as it was going over.

[Smallen]

easy save if it’s below the bar

[Astafjevs]

Oblak basically right underneath that freekick and saving it anyway 

[craigcwwe]

So close, thought it was in. 

[Orzelek]

The way he was acting before the freekick, I was ure he'd blast it out of the stadium  

[Smallen]

honestly what is wrong with commentators and pundits constantly fawning over this absolutely disgusting bloke

[Freakiie]

Ronaldo had some spare time in the desert to practice his free kicks again? They're looking almost threatening compared to the balls he shot out of the stadium a couple years ago.

[Darren Moores Mum]

Ronaldo misses a sitter but let's keep gobbling him.

[Bliss Seeker]

Can't wait for Ronaldo to score myself. He's going to explode!

[Baptista_8]

He's gonna explode at this rate, literally