3) Pepe (Portugal)
The hard-headed defender from Real Madrid finally put in a performance which justified his abilities at the heart of the defence. A nuisance in the air, Pepe nullified Arkadiusz Milik’s presence and kept him in his back pocket for the entire game. He made 5 clearances and 11 ball recoveries (highest in the quarter-finals). He shut out the likes of Jakub Blaszczykowski and Kamil Grosicki, preventing them from having an influence on the game.
He even completed 29 passes, which bailed Portugal out from many Polish counter-attacks. He even managed 3 blocks, one of them successfully preventing Lewandowski from scoring. After a strong display, Portugal will be depending on him to shut out Gareth Bale and company in the semi-finals.
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