France booked their spot in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 by beating Portugal in the penalty shootout on Friday night.
Former Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante, 33, played the full 120 minutes during a quarter-final clash that was still goalless after extra-time.
Eventually, the French beat Portugal 5-3 on penalties, which sets up a semi-final showdown with Spain.
Kante left European football at club level one year ago when his contract at Chelsea expired. It was Saudi Arabia club Al-Ittihad that signed him on a free transfer.
However, he’s turned up for France at this tournament and really rolled back the years with some eye-catching performances up to now.
- READ MORE: Former Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante says whether he will return to European football one day
French media reacts to N’Golo Kante performance against Portugal
National media reacted to the individual display from central midfielder Kante in the quarter-final match against Portugal.
They suggest it was a struggle for the former Chelsea man as tiredness may be starting to creep into his game.
French newspaper Foot Mercato wrote: “N’Golo Kante – 4/10.
“Fatigue is making itself felt by the Al-Ittihad midfielder. Less accurate than usual and with many significant ball losses, his accumulation of matches seems to be making itself felt and he has not had the control over the opposing midfield that he was able to have in previous matches.
“The rest of the competition is likely to be difficult for him, especially after these 120 minutes played.”
Match stats
FotMob data has provided the individual statistics from Kante’s international display against Portugal.
In fairness, they suggest it was a decent overall contribution from him in the centre of the park.
- Match rating – 7.0
- Minutes played – 120
- Total shots – 2
- Shots on target – 2/2
- Touches – 90
- Accurate passes – 65/70
- Chances created – 1
- Tackles won – 1/2
- Interceptions – 2
- Recoveries – 3
- Clearances – 3
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