Qualified for the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 in Germany, the French team will face Portugal on Friday night. It promises to be a showdown between Kylian Mbappé and Cristiano Ronaldo, and so far, statistics favor the Portuguese striker who has often come out on top against the former PSG star.
France trembled on Monday night against Belgium, but Didier Deschamps’ men eventually clinched victory at the last minute thanks to a goal from substitute Randal Kolo Muani. Later in the evening, Portugal also struggled to get past Slovenia (0-0), eventually prevailing in a penalty shootout. A major clash is thus set for next Friday (9 pm) between Les Bleus and A Seleção.
Kylian Mbappé, captain of the French team and a new star signing in Real Madrid’s summer transfer market, will aim to guide Les Bleus to the semi-finals. Facing him, his idol: Cristiano Ronaldo. The 39-year-old Portuguese forward, like Mbappé, has struggled to shine in Euro 2024, having missed a penalty against Slovenia on Monday night. But CR7 can take comfort in his almost flawless record when facing Kylian Mbappé in official matches.
Advantage Ronaldo in head-to-head encounters
Indeed, the two have met five times in their careers, with Cristiano Ronaldo holding the upper hand so far. In the 2017-2018 Champions League round of 16, Ronaldo’s Real Madrid defeated PSG twice (3-1, 2-1).
Later, in October 2020, Mbappé and CR7 faced each other with their respective national teams in the UEFA Nations League, drawing at the Stade de France (0-0) and with France winning in Portugal a month later (1-0). Their last direct confrontation was at Euro 2021, where France and Portugal drew 2-2 in the group stage.
Head-to-head record: Two wins for Cristiano Ronaldo, two draws, and one victory for Kylian Mbappé. The stage is set…
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