Diogo Costa saved Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo in Euro 2024 round of 16 match against Slovenia on July 1, 2024.
Costa’s goalkeeping heroics saw the Selecao breeze past Slovenia in the shootouts to book a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Portugal went into the game as favourites but nearly crumbled against a spirited Slovenian side, who were making their debut in the knockout stage of a major international tournament. The first half ended barren after a nervy performance from both sides.
Diogo Costa’s performance Vs Slovenia
Costa was crucial to Portugal’s triumph in the match. With five minutes left to play, he saved a potent effort from Benjamin Sesko.
Costa would take his heroics to the shootout, saving penalties from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbic, to help Portugal snatch victory.
According to Optajoao, Costa’s penalty-saving heroics made him the first goalkeeper to save three spot-kicks in a Euro tournament.
Following his impressive performance, he bagged the Man-of-the-match award after the game.
Diogo Costa saved Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal Vs Slovenia clash
Costa did not only produce a stunning performance in the game but saved Cristiano Ronaldo from what would have been a sore point in the 39-year-old’s career. The game was still barren when Portugal won a penalty with a few minutes left to play. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored several penalties in his heroic career, was handed the spot kick.
As usual, the iconic soccer star, spread his legs a few meters away from the ball, getting ready to break the deadlock for Portugal and fire the Selecao into the last 8. At the blast of the whistle, he ran up and fired towards the bottom right corner. His move was perfectly read by Slovenian goalkeeper, Jan Oblak, who dived and made a stunning save to deny the Manchester United legend.
It was a heartbeaking moment for the Al-Nassr forward. He broke down in tears after missing the spot-kick with the match heading into extra time.
In extra time, Slovenian and RB Leipzig forward, Benjamin Sesko, came extremely close to giving Slovenia what would have been a winning-lead but Diogo Costa made another crucial save to drag the game into penalties.
In the shootouts, Costa put himself on the line again for Portugal with the three record-setting saves to hand the Selecao victory.
If Portugal had lost the game, the emphasis would have been on Cristiano Ronaldo’s late penalty miss, thanks to Diogo Costa, whose heroics changed the narrative and saved both Portugal and the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Who will Portugal play next?
Following the victory over Slovenia, Portugal will now take on France in the quarter-finals on July 5, 2024. France edged out Belgium by a lone in the round-of-16 to qualify for the last 8. It will be a cracker as the two sides prepare to battle out for a place in the semi-finals. They have met 28 times in all competitions with France winning 19, losing 6, and drawing 3.
Who is Diogo Costa?
Diogo Costa is a Portuguese professional football player, playing as a goalkeeper for Porto in the Portuguese football league and Portugal’s national team. Diogo Costa graduated from Porto Academy in 2019. He played for the club’s reserve team from 2017 to 2019, making 51 appearances. In 2019, he made his Porto first-team debut and has recorded 103 Primeira Liga appearances for the club. His match against Slovenia was his 26th international appearance for Portugal’s senior national team.
Diogo Costa contract and salary
Diogo Costa has a contract with Porto till 2027. He has three years left on his contract. His gross annual contract salary is €1,400,000 while his weekly paycheck is €27,692.
Diogo Costa’s age and net worth
Diogo Costa was born on September 17, 1999. He is 24 years old and will be celebrating his 25th birthday on September 17, 2024. His estimated net worth in 2024 is €4 million. He earns his income from his football contract with Porto and endorsement deals from sports brands.
Diogo Costa’s personal life
Away from his heroics on the field, Diogo Costa is a life-loving family man. He regularly flaunts his family of three on social media. The Porto shot-stopper is married to Portuguese blonde Catarino Machado, whom he reportedly met in 2018. After five years into their relationship, they got married in 2023. Meanwhile, they had welcomed their first child, Tomas, together, in 2022.
Since, Tomas’ birth, Costa seems to have effectively juggled between his demanding football career and fatherly duties. He relishes spending quality with the kid and his mum. In November 2023, he shard footage of him and the burgeoning family.
It’s apparent the Portuguese goalkeeper is acing it both on and off the field. He is present for both club and country, including his family.
