Portugal opens UEFA Euro 2024 knockout stage against Slovenia on TSN
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Portugal won their first two games and clinched their group at UEFA Euro 2024, before suffering an upset loss in their round-robin finale. Now they will face Slovenia, who earned a point in all three games they played to secure their place in the knockout stage of the tournament as a third place team.
Portugal made eight changes to their starting lineup in their final group game against Georgia, and then suffered a 2-0 loss at Arena AufSchalke.
"We have to learn from this game as it will be a similar game,” Portugal defender Danilo said after the loss. “Slovenia will be defending at the back and try to hit us on the counterattack. We had this game as an example, and we need to do exactly the opposite of what we did today."
They came into their third contest already knowing they would reach Round of 16 thanks to victories over Czechia and Turkiye to open the tournament.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who started all three games in the group stage, is still searching for his first goal of the tournament, but did pick up one of the most unselfish assists of the competition when he passed the ball to Bruno Fernandes on a two-man break for a goal against Turkiye.
"There are no easy games; [Georgia] was a perfect example of that,” said Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez. “When we win, it's not because the game is easy. We had a friendly against Slovenia, but it won't be the same on [Monday]. They're a national team who play like a club side: very defensive, two very influential strikers and we'll need to prepare well. Losing [to Georgia] will prepare our team better from a mental standpoint."
Slovenia will be hoping to replicate the result of that pre-tournament friendly, which they captured 2-0 on home soil at Stadion Stozice in Ljubljana.
They advanced to the knockout stage by holding Denmark, Serbia and in their round-robin finale, England to draws, finishing third in Group C.
"This is something magical,” Slovenia defender Vanja Drkušić said after the draw against England. “Every one of us dreamt of something like this as little boys beginning our football careers. Not only our fans, the whole footballing world has seen that we left our heart on the pitch."
Slovenia will be playing in the playoff round of the European Championship for the first time and are still looking for their first win of the competition after posting five draws and a loss in the six matches they have played.
"I knew the boys would come through,” said Slovenia head coach Matjaž Kek. “Some were skeptical about us, but the pitch showed our value. I hope there are no more doubts that Slovenia has earned its place at the Euro. We played the games with high quality and that is a good foundation for the future of Slovenian football. I am really so proud."
While Slovenia is making history for their national team, Portugal is chasing their second title following their win at UEFA Euro 2016.
The winner of this match will take on either France or Belgium in the quarter-finals in Hamburg on July 5.