Ibrahima Konate’s France and Diogo Jota’s Portugal faced off for a spot in the semi-finals on Friday evening, but neither team managed to get a point across during the 120 minutes.
The final of the Euros has arrived, a tournament that has seen mixed results for Liverpool players.
From a personal perspective, both Konate and Jota suffered disappointing results, as they were not included in the XI including the quarter-finals.
And the pair were again left out of action as France faced Portugal on Friday night, with the match ending 0-0 after 90 and 120 minutes.
Les Bleus won 5-3 on penalties, with Joao Felix scoring the winner and Roberto Martinez opting to bring on a substitute in extra time against Jota.
Korean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUXyD5uvDVM
That means Konate will still be in contention for France and Spain in the semi-finals on July 9, but it is unlikely he will be involved as William Saliba remains the preferred choice.
For Jota, the summer break begins now. He is expected to have three weeks off, which will likely see him report to the United States for pre-season from July 29.
Liverpool’s number 20 suffered from muscle fatigue throughout the tournament, playing just 97 minutes in Portugal’s five games.
It is questionable why Martinez did not rely on his proven poacher when the team needed a breakthrough against France, but from the Reds’ perspective, it is commendable that he did not get discouraged.
With so much riding on the success of the pre-season, it is welcome news that Jota will be back fit and healthy after a season plagued by injury.
With Jota out and Konate still available, their fate will be decided on Saturday when Virgil van Dijk, Kodi Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez take on the Spaniards in the quarter-finals.
The Netherlands play Turkey at 8pm BST, while England play Switzerland at 5pm.
