EM Historic Performance
Goalkeeper Diogo Costa – the true hero of the Portuguese
Status: 02:30 am | Reading time: 4 minutes
“There are moments that cannot be explained” – Ronaldo interview in video
Cristiano Ronaldo experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in the round of 16. First he missed a penalty and burst into tears. Shortly afterwards he and Portugal won the penalty shootout against Slovenia. His statements after the game in the video.
Portugal trembles its way into the quarter-finals of the European Championship in a penalty shootout. The big hero against Slovenia is not Cristiano Ronaldo, but Diogo Costa. Portugal’s goalkeeper delivers a historic performance. Afterwards he cries and then reveals his secret of success.
After his heroic act, Diogo Costa was overcome with emotion. He began to cry. Understandably, because in the previous minutes, Portugal’s goalkeeper had saved his team from being eliminated from the European Championship with a historic performance. “These are the great moments in football,” Costa explained in his first TV interview after being named player of the match. He then had to briefly interrupt the conversation because tears choked his voice. “I’m so happy that I was able to help my team.”
Costa, 24, saved all three of the opponent’s penalties in the European Championship round of 16 against Slovenia (3:0 on penalties). It had never happened before in the history of the tournament that a team had not been able to score a single penalty in a penalty shootout. And certainly not because the goalkeeper saved all of them. “This is probably the best game of my life,” said Costa after his memorable saves.
At the press conference after the game, the 1.86 meter tall goalkeeper seemed to have regained his composure. The tears had given way to a permanent smile on Costa’s face. “Of course we analyzed the penalty takers, but the players often change their shots,” emphasized Portugal’s hero, before revealing his secret of success. “I concentrated on my task and followed my instincts.”
Costa saves Slovakia’s third penalty with flying precision…
Quelle: Getty Images/Alex Grimm
… Portugal’s goalkeeper then celebrates his and the entire team’s success
Source: dpa/Torsten Silz
At home, the newspapers were outdoing each other with superlatives just minutes after the dramatic end of the game. “Diogo Costa’s night of dreams,” was the headline in “A Bola.” “Publico” was a little more sober: “Diogo Costa’s gloves keep Portugal in the European Championships.” An apt description of Costa’s nerve-racking performance against Slovenia.
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After a goalless – but never boring – 120 minutes, Costa, goalkeeper of FC Porto, fished the first penalty from Josip Ilicic out of the right corner. He then flew into the right corner of his goal for attempts by Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbic and made outstanding saves. The converted penalty from Bernardo Silva sealed the Portuguese team’s progress.
Goalkeeper Costa prevents Portugal from being eliminated
Shortly before the penalty shootout, Costa himself ensured that the favorites still had a chance from the penalty spot against the underdog. In the 115th minute, Benjamin Sesko ran alone towards the Portuguese goal after a hair-raising mistake by center-back Pepe. Costa blocked the Slovenian striker’s shot with a brilliant save and prevented the big surprise. “I read his body language and was able to help my team,” Costa analyzed the scene after the game. He sounded almost a little modest.
Cristiano Ronaldo also knew who he had to thank after the game. “Congratulations to Diogo Costa, who saved three penalties,” said Portugal’s superstar in an interview after the game. His relief was palpable, after all, he had saved the first goal in the 105th minute. die He missed a great chance to win when he failed to convert a penalty against Slovenia’s goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Afterwards, Ronaldo burst into tears on the pitch and could hardly be calmed down. “He saved us,” Ronaldo praised his heroic goalkeeper – and probably secretly meant himself.
Thanks from Cristiano Ronaldo: Costa was named player of the match
Source: dpa/Torsten Silz
“We all had to believe in it after Ronaldo’s penalty. We believed in it until the very end and we are very happy,” said Costa, describing the mood in the Portuguese camp after the stirring round of 16 match in Frankfurt. “These were great emotions after such a tough game.” For Costa, it was also a kind of personal redemption. He had already been the first-choice goalkeeper in Portugal’s goal at the 2022 World Cup. In the 0-1 quarter-final against Morocco, he misjudged a cross before conceding the goal. Portugal was eliminated. Forgotten and forgiven.
At the end of an eventful evening, Portugal’s unexpected savior even made the reporters laugh at the press conference. After the question and answer session, he politely wished everyone a pleasant evening and left the podium smiling. However, without the trophy for the player of the match. It was only shortly before the door that Costa noticed his faux pas. Laughing, he took the silver piece and said goodbye once again.
