When Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo stopped a shot on goal with his bare hands (before scoring)

Two men face to face and all the tension of the stadium which surrounds them: in football, the shootouts are a question of quality of strike, but also of mental.

At the Euro, 18 knockout matches have ended with penalties since 1976. Several have been remembered, including the quarter-final between Portugal and England in 2004. The hero of this end match is called Ricardo.  

A first penalty missed by David Beckham

For the Portuguese, who play this Euro at home, the match started badly.

Led from the 3rd minute and during the vast majority of the match, they manage to snatch extra time a few minutes before the final whistle.

Extension during which each of the teams scores once, Rui Costa for Portugal first, then Lampard for the English.

New back to back (2-2), the two teams will play shots on goal. 

The first is missed by David Beckham, but Rui Costa also misses the transformation and the counters are immediately reset.

For both teams, the next five shots hit the back of the net.

Until the Englishman Darius Vassel approached the penalty spot, looking surprised: in front of him, Ricardo, the Portuguese goalkeeper took off his gloves. 

"End people's suffering"

"You must stop this penalty to put an end to the suffering of people", would have intimated a "voice" to the doorman, according to confidences reported by 

.

"So I took off my gloves, and stopped shooting with my bare hands." 

The icing on the cake: after having destabilized the English striker, Ricardo was chosen by his coach as the next shooter.

And the psychological ascendancy is confirmed: the goalkeeper sends his team to the final with a powerful strike into the side net!