The highlights reel of the game will no doubt focus on Ronaldo’s penalty miss during extra time, and the ensuing tears, but the key moment was Slovenia’s miss in the dying moments. Pepe looked every bit his 41 years of age as he dallied in defence, gave the ball away, and watched helplessly as Sesko sped away with just Costa to beat. It’s hard to imagine what Pepe taking on Mbappe in a foot race will look like.
France relied on a stroke of luck to get past a dogged but poor Belgian side. The French have been misfiring as much as England, perhaps even more so, and find themselves in the bizarre position of being in the last 8 and having only scored 1 goal. Their other 2 goals have come courtesy of opposition players putting it in their own net, and it is amazing to think that this team, with its array of superstars, is misfiring to such an extent. However, they are still creating chances and, with so much on the line, tonight may be when it finally clicks for Les Blues.
*Odds quoted may fluctuate