Mbappe or Ronaldo: Who will come through?

France and Portugal renew their European Championship rivalry on Friday night in a quarterfinal showdown in which almost all of the focus will be on the two captains, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The last-eight encounter in Hamburg brings together two of the most-fancied nations coming into Euro 2024, but two teams who have not been completely convinced so far in Germany.

France have reached a sixth quarterfinal in the last seven major tournaments despite not one of their players scoring a goal in open play.

Mbappe has been hindered by the broken nose he suffered in France's first match against Austria which forced him to miss the goalless draw with the Netherlands.

He has not been at his sharpest since returning and the spot-kick he converted against Poland is the only goal he has scored in seven appearances at the Euros.

The other side of the coin for France is that they have only let in one goal, which was a penalty by Poland's Robert Lewandowski.

Meanwhile, Portugal reached this stage having needed a shoot-out to beat Slovenia following a goalless 120 minutes.

Goalkeeper Diogo Costa ended up being their hero by saving all three of Slovenia's efforts from the spot, but the game will also be remembered for Ronaldo's tears after he had a penalty saved in extra time.

The 39-year-old's quest to become the oldest-ever goal-scorer at the tournament also led to him missing numerous attempts during that game.

It has all added fuel to the fire for those who feel Ronaldo is holding back a supremely talented Portugal side, but coach Roberto Martinez continues to defend the veteran forward.

"Those emotions are incredible for someone who has won and experienced everything," Martinez said.

"He doesn't need to care that much. That is why I thank him for being the way he is."

Portugal must now try to find a way through a watertight French defence, while Didier Deschamps, the coach of the 2022 World Cup runners-up, needs to find a replacement in his midfield for the suspended Adrien Rabiot.

With France being one of the most solid defensive sides at the Euro, the question will be whether a misfiring Ronaldo will be able to help Portugal find that spark in the attack that they have been missing lately. 

The margins will likely be fine again this tie and the outcome will possibly be determined by a moment of genius. For that, Portugal are likely to keep Ronaldo in place while French eyes will be firmly fixed on Mbappe finally delivering.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Portugal are the side with the most possession (69.9%) at this Euro, with Germany (66%), England (60%), Spain (59.5%), and France (59%) coming next in this aspect. 
• France are yet to find a goal from open play -- they had seen two own goals and one penalty from Kylian Mbappe -- but Les Blues have had the most touches (151) in the opposition's box, followed by Portugal who have had 136 touches in the opposition's box. 
• Portugal's captain Cristiano Ronaldo has mustered 20 shots at Euro 2024, the most of any player, but he's yet to find the back of the net. 
• Portugal haven't scored in their last two matches -- against Georgia and Slovenia. Portugal have never failed to net in three consecutive games at a single major tournament before.
• France have kept a clean sheet in three of their four games, the most of any side at the tournament.