Mbappe and Ronaldo face to face and a fiery battle between Germany and Spain

 

France's Kylian Mbappe and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo will face off in Hamburg on Friday in an explosive quarterfinal at the European Football Championship, which will also feature a fiery, high-caliber clash between hosts Germany and Spain.

The first confrontation brings together two of the most prominent teams that have been nominated to compete for the title, but they have not yet fully convinced.

France qualified for the quarterfinals for the sixth time in the last seven major tournaments, despite its players' inability to score from open play. They scored just three goals in four matches, one from a penalty by Mbappe and the other two from friendly fire, including Jan Vertonghen's goal to beat Belgium 1-0 in the Round of 16.

Mbappe suffered a broken nose in France's 1-0 opening loss to Austria, forcing him to miss the goalless draw against the Netherlands, and the Real Madrid signing has not been at his best since his return.

France assistant coach Guy Stephan said on Wednesday: "It's not easy to play with a mask on, as Kylian said. The end of the season was a bit stressful. But Kylian is still Kylian. He has scored a goal in almost every game for us since 2021.

Portugal, meanwhile, needed penalties to beat Slovenia, with goalkeeper Diogo Cocheta saving three, but the match will also be remembered for Ronaldo's tears after missing a penalty in extra time.

The 39-year-old's quest to become the tournament's top scorer also led to a number of misses.

Despite the criticism, Spain coach Roberto Martinez continued to defend the five-time world player of the year. "He has nothing to worry about, so I thank him for being the way he is."

Portugal came from behind to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in their first game, then beat Turkey 3-0, but lost 2-0 to Georgia in their last game after qualifying with a reserve team.

After going almost four hours without scoring a goal, the Portuguese will have to find a way to penetrate a solid French defense led by the duo of William Saliba and Dayo Upamecano.

Meanwhile, France coach Didier Deschamps will have to find a replacement for Adrien Rabiot, who is suspended.

The two teams met in the group stage at the last edition in the summer of 2021, when Ronaldo scored two penalties for Portugal in a match that ended in a 2-2 draw.

Ironically, when the two teams meet in the knockout rounds, the winner always wins the title, which happened in the 2016 final when Portugal beat France 1-0 in extra time in Paris, and before that in the 1984 semifinal when the inspirational French captain Michel Platini scored the winning goal. At the end of extra time (3-2) on his way to France's first title, then when Zinedine Zidane scored a golden goal from the penalty spot (2-1) in the 2000 semifinals.

The quarterfinals kick off in Stuttgart with a fiery clash between hosts Germany and Spain, the only country to have won the tournament four times.

After beating Croatia and Italy in the group stage, Spain defeated newcomers Georgia 4-1 in the round of 16.

Germany, on the other hand, got off to a strong start against Scotland (5-1) with the talented Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, then beat Hungary 2-0 before Niklas Volkrug saved them in stoppage time against Austria (1-1).

The two teams have the tournament's most potent attack, are the best at passing the ball, and have conceded just three goals in total.

"It will definitely be an even match," said Germany captain Ilkay Gundogan.

It is true that Germany beat Denmark 2-0 in the round of 16, but the Scandinavians gave the Germans plenty to think about.

But Die Mannschaft fans are counting on the team of young coach Julian Nagelsmann, Hansi Flick's successor and the first German coach to be sacked, to erase the disappointment of the last two World Cups, when Germany was eliminated in the group stage and lost 1-0 to England in the European Cup final. 2.

With both teams looking to end a three-way title drought at the tournament, Germany playmaker Toni Kroos said: "Our goal is to win the tournament.

The Real Madrid European champion and 2014 World Cup winner, who will retire permanently after the tournament, added: "I don't think tomorrow will be my last game. I think we'll see each other again and I'm looking forward to it.

The six-time Champions League winner made his first professional appearance for Bayern Munich in 2007, the same year current Spain international Lamine Jamal (16) was born.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said: "Germany is a great team, organized and disciplined. But they are playing against a similar team... the small details will decide this match.

This match will bring back memories of the 2008 final, when Spain won with a goal from Fernando Torres. La Roja repeated the feat two years later in the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup, with a Carles Puyol goal en route to their only World Cup title.

Before their last meeting in the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar (1-1), Spain defeated Germany in the European Nations League with a terrifying half-dozen.