After a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes, Portugal won 5-3 on penalties.
Ronaldo & Co have been regular quarter-finalists in tournaments, while Poland have never been in the last eight of the Euros
Renato Sanches was the big team news: he started.
Chunky, agile and adventurous, the dreadlocked midfielder is an exciting new talent.
He should play for Portugal for the next decade.
Centreback Pepe was excellent, while Ronaldo, very uptight, had a stinker.
The first half was entertaining, the second deeply tedious.
Remarkably, Robert Lewandowski scored in only 1 minute 40 seconds,
Portugal’s right back Cedric dropped a clanger, misreading a crossfield pass by Piszczek that released Grosicki and his accurate cutback allowed Lewandowski to staba sidefoot shot inside the near post.
Lewandowski, who hadn’t scored in the first four games, claimed the second-fastest goal in European Championship history.
After scoring, Poland, methodical and solid, defended their penalty area intelligently.
In 28, when Nani nicked the ball into Ronaldo’s run, the shot was feeble and keeper Fabianski gathered it comfortably. and German referee Felix Brych didn’t give a penalty when Ronaldo was barged off trying to head a cross, Cristiano didn’t go mental, didn’t appeal theatrically after the contact.
Then in 33, Renato Sanches took on big left back Jedrzejczyk, played a one-two with Nani, swerved infield and scored his first goal for Portugal at the age of 18.
I thought: “Wow! That’s the youngest goal in the tournament.”
I hadn’t seen the deflection of Krychowiak,the outstanding Sevilla anchorman.
In 42, big No.3 Jedrzejczyk got a yellow card when Renato Sanches zigzagged round him.
In 56 Ronaldo hit the side-netting with a tame left-foot shot.
The Portuguese, being superior technicians, looked more likely to get the winner in normal time. I kept thinking: There’s no way Poland can win this game now.
Midfielder Adrien Silva got a yellow card and when Moutinho, on for Silva in 73, played a nice through pass into the box for Ronaldo, the superstar swung his left boot and missed the ball.
In 90+2, William Carvalo grabbed Krychowiak and got the yellow card that puts him out of the semi-final.
After a dismal first period of extra time, ITV studio host Mark Pugatch said: “Has anybody got anything interesting to say? Lee Dixon?”
Lee: “No. Cancel the second half, go straight to penalties.”
Most of us felt the same way because we’d never seen 22 footballers less likely to score in the second half of extra-time.
The first seven penalties were very good. Then Jacub Blaszczykowski’s kick was saved by Rui Patricio diving to his left
Ricardo Quaresma blasted in the ninth penalty to take the Portugal into a semi-final against Wales or Belgium.