Euro 2024: Ronaldo, Mbappe face off as Portugal, France clash

France and Portugal continue their European Championship rivalry on Friday in a quarter-final match that will centre almost entirely on the two leaders, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

The last-eight match in Hamburg pits two of the most anticipated nations for Euro 2024 against two teams that have yet to fully impress in Germany.

Despite the fact that none of their players have scored a goal in open play, France has advanced to the sixth quarterfinal in the previous seven major events.

Les Bleus have scored only three goals in four games, one of which was a penalty by Mbappe and the other two coming from their own goals, including Jan Vertonghen’s, which helped them defeat Belgium 1-0 in the last 16.

Mbappe has been hampered by a fractured nose sustained in France’s opening encounter against Austria, forcing him to miss the goalless draw with the Netherlands.

He has not been at his best since his return, and the penalty he converted against Poland is his only goal in seven appearances at the Euros.

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“I don’t think any of us have made enough of the fact that he broke his nose. It is not an excuse, but he was traumatised by the collision,” France assistant coach Guy Stephan said on Wednesday.

“It is not easy to play with a mask on, as he said. He had a bit of an exhausting end to the season. But Kylian is still Kylian. He has scored almost a goal a game for us since 2021.”

The other side of the coin for France is that they have only conceded one goal, a penalty by Poland’s Robert Lewandowski.

Meanwhile, Portugal advanced to this stage by defeating Slovenia in a penalty shootout following a goalless 120 minutes.

Goalkeeper Diogo Costa ended up being their hero, saving all three of Slovenia’s penalty attempts, but the game will also be remembered for Ronaldo’s tears when his chance was saved in extra time.

Portugal came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 in their opening match and then dominated Turkey 3-0, so they have had fewer scoring troubles than France.

However, in their most recent group game, they were defeated 2-0 by Georgia, despite having a significantly different team.

This came after they had already secured first place in their group, but it means they have now gone more than four hours without finding the net.

Portugal must now aim to break through a resolute French defence, while Didier Deschamps, the coach of the 2022 World Cup runners-up, must find a substitute in his midfield for the suspended Adrien Rabiot.

Three years ago, both teams clashed in the group stage of the last Euros, with Portugal drawing 2-2 thanks to two penalties from Ronaldo.

Euro 2024: Ronaldo, Mbappe face off as Portugal, France clash

AFCON qualifiers: Nigeria to play Benin, Libya, Rwanda in Group D

Nigeria will face Benin, Libya and Rwanda in Group D of the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON qualifiers) in Morocco as unveiled on Thursday at the draw ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The 2025 AFCON will be played from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026 following the decision of CAF to adjust the schedule of the tournament for the congested FIFA calendar.

It will be the first time in Nations Cup history that the tournament will kick off in December and run over the Christmas and New Year periods.

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The full draw for 2025 AFCON qualifiers made in Johannesburg on Thursday:

Group A

Tunisia, Madagascar, Comoros, Gambia

Group B

Morocco (hosts), Gabon, Central African Republic, Lesotho

Group C

Egypt, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Botswana

Group D

Nigeria, Benin, Libya, Rwanda

Group E

Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Liberia

Group F

Ghana, Angola, Sudan, Niger

Group G

Ivory Coast (holders), Zambia, Sierra Leone, Chad

Group H

Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Tanzania, Ethiopia

Group I

AFCON qualifiers: Nigeria to play Benin, Libya, Rwanda in Group D

AFCON 2025: Super Eagles to know opponents today

Three-time winners and five-time runners-up. Nigeria’s opponents for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals qualification race will be revealed today when the draw occurs in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The draw ceremony, held inside the SuperSport studio in South Africa’s commercial and economic capital, will divide the 48 countries into 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two teams in eleven of the groups qualifying directly to the finals, which are already scheduled for December 21st, 2025 – January 18th, 2026, while Morocco will qualify (regardless of where they finish) alongside one other team in the 12th group.

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The 48 qualified teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two automatically advancing to the tournament proper, which begins December 21, 2025.

The qualifying matches will occur during the FIFA windows of September, October, and November this year.

Today’s draw includes Nigeria’s opponents in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying race: Benin Republic, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

The AFCON 2025 finals will occur between December 21, 2025, and January 18, 2026.

AFCON 2025: Super Eagles to know opponents today