After the bloodshed from Kylian Mbappe and the tears of Cristiano Ronaldo, this was the night when effort finally surpassed inspiration.

Mbappe, concealed behind his mask, didn’t seem his usual self and exited during extra-time, retreating to the bench with an ice pack on his broken nose.

Ronaldo, despite being almost invisible for long periods, never looked like he would be substituted early.

When a good opportunity finally arose, expertly created by Francisco Conceicao at the beginning of extra-time, Portugal’s captain lifted it over the goal.

He did score his penalty, but it wasn’t enough.

Joao Felix was the only player to miss his penalty, striking the post, and Ronaldo departs from Euro 2024 without scoring in his last nine appearances in World Cup finals and European Championships.

He can no longer change the course of a game at this level, leaving behind the legacy of the hero he once was.

The night never fulfilled its promise of witnessing Europe’s greatest footballer for so long pass the torch to Mbappe, his heir apparent.

Indeed, it was a night when defenders earned the accolades, celebrating crucial blocks in front of goal and recovery tackles.

Pepe, defying his 41 years, rolled back the years in his second 120-minute match of the week. It was a defender who settled it, with Theo Hernandez holding his nerve under pressure to score the decisive penalty and secure France’s place in the semi-final against Spain in Munich on Tuesday.

Although they struggled for fluency and flair, they have advanced to the last four with three goals – two of them own goals and the other an Mbappe penalty against Poland. Didier Deschamps’ side is still in the tournament.

Portugal controlled most of the first half, with France willing to drop back and concede territory.

They are solid defensively, with a trio of ball-winning midfielders in front of the back four, although can lack imagination going forward. They spent the first half looking to spring Mbappe on the turnover into the spaces left by Joao Cancelo’s instincts to get forward.

Bruno Fernandes saw the first effort of the night deflect wide for a corner. Portugal had struggled to find the net in their previous matches, failing to score in a defeat against Georgia, when Martinez made numerous changes with qualification already secured, and then against the defensive wall of Slovenia in the last 16.

A recurring theme of the tournament has been unfancied but well-organized teams successfully frustrating stronger opponents. Here, however, it was more a case of caution.

Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa, the hero against Slovenia in Frankfurt with three penalty shootout saves, made his first save of the night by parrying away a crisp long-distance strike from Hernandez.

Costa was alert, cutting out a cross from Mbappe as France responded, with their captain showing flashes of brilliance without fully coming to life. Ronaldo was comfortably contained by William Saliba, managing only 11 touches of the ball in the first 45 minutes.

After facing criticism for wasting free-kicks against Slovenia, Ronaldo stepped aside to let Fernandes take the first set-piece close enough to aim at Mike Maignan’s goal, four minutes before the interval.

Ronaldo stood with his feet apart, breathing deeply and going through his usual routine, but it was Fernandes who stepped up and whipped the ball over the defensive wall. The outcome was the same.

The ball sailed high and wide, leaving Maignan untroubled.