Most Shots: Cristiano Ronaldo – 5
Portugal are yet to win a match in 90 minutes. Three draws saw them sneak through to the Round of 16 as one of the better third-placed teams thanks to the tournament’s new format. A win against Croatia came thanks to a goal in the 117th minute while Poland were dispatched in the quarter-finals in a penalty shootout.
Their captain has not exactly been as inspirational as one would expect from a proven goalscorer. Ronaldo looks like a pale shadow of his former self – one who could at least find the target from free-kicks rather than smacking it into the wall. And even if there were shots on target, they were either too weak or unnecessary with teammates in better positions.
Against Poland, Ronaldo took five shots. No other player from any team took as many shots in 90 minutes in the quarter-finals.
Most Passes: Mats Hummels – 109
Germany vs Italy was rightly labeled a game for the tactical nerds as Joachim Low changed his formation to negate Italy’s 3-5-2. The result? A game where both sides canceled each other out for the majority of the 120 minutes.
The midfield was stifled and the forwards were starved of service. This saw the centre-backs more involved in circulating the ball while looking for any chinks in the armour to exploit. Hence, it comes as no surprise to see Mats Hummels top the passing charts instead of the usual suspects such as Toni Kroos or Mesut Ozil.
With injuries threatening to weaken Die Mannschaft, Low has a bigger headache with Hummels suspended for the semi-final after picking up a second yellow card.
