Euro 2024: Ronaldo's Portugal and Mbappé's France clash in quarterfinals

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Portugal and France meet in the European Championship quarterfinals on Friday and the match features a head to head between two of soccer's biggest stars: Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé. The winner will play either Spain or host nation Germany in the semifinals. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. local (1900 GMT) in Hamburg. Here’s what to know about the match:

— It's a match between two of the pre-tournament favorites but neither have been convincing. Portugal hasn't scored a goal in its last two matches — a 2-0 loss to Georgia and a 0-0 with Slovenia before winning a penalty shootout — while no France player has scored from open play at Euro 2024. The French have had two own-goals and a penalty from Mbappé.

— Ronaldo burst into tears after having a penalty saved in extra time against Slovenia. Appearing in his record sixth European Championship, he has yet to score — if he does, the 39-year-old striker would be the oldest ever scorer at the tournament.

— Mbappé will again be wearing a protective mask after sustaining a broken nose in France's group opener against Austria. France coach Didier Deschamps said after the last-16 win over Belgium that Mbappé might need to wear the mask for "months."

— The match will be played exactly 18 years after the nations' meeting in the 2006 World Cup semifinals, when Zinedine Zidane scored the winner from the penalty spot. Ronaldo played the full match and the player of the match was Lilian Thuram, whose son, Marcus, is likely to feature for France in Hamburg.

— France midfielder Adrien Rabiot is suspended after collecting two yellow cards. The likelihood is that Antoine Griezmann will drop back into central midfield to cover for Rabiot, with Ousmane Dembele potentially coming into the forward line.

— Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has no players suspended and said all 26 in his squad were healthy for the match.

— Mbappé is one of four France players who will miss the semifinals if they pick up another booking, should the team advance. It is the same with Ronaldo and five other Portugal players.

— France has only conceded one goal at Euro 2024. That was the retaken penalty by Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, whose first effort was saved by Mike Maignan before the France goalkeeper was adjudged to have come off his line too early.

— The 25-year-old Mbappé has 48 goals for France. He has a long way to go to catch Ronaldo, who has a men's record 130 international goals.

— This is the teams' third straight meeting at a European Championship. In the tournament in 2021, they drew 2-2 in the group stage — Ronaldo scored two penalties — and Portugal won 1-0 in the final in 2016.

— Ronaldo, who will make a record 212th appearance for Portugal, has had 20 shots without scoring at Euro 2024.

— “There is only one Cristiano Ronaldo, there will only ever be one. I am following my own path." — France captain Kylian Mbappé.

— “It's not about Kylian and Cristiano. It's about Portugal and France. But definitely two unbelievable players at different stages of their careers.” — Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva.

— “This is Ronaldo’s last Euro. We’ve got everything we need to give him this gift and we’re going to do everything we can.” — Portugal left back Nuno Mendes.

AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024

FILE -Kylian Mbappe of France, right, celebrates after scoring a penalty kick during a Group D match between the France and Poland at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Kylian Mbappe is not just a clash of soccer icons but a clash of generations. They’ll go head to head when Portugal plays France in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals on Friday and their heavyweight meeting just got a little bit bigger after Ronaldo said this would be his last European Championship.(Friso Gentsch/dpa via AP, File)

FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020 file photo France's Kylian Mbappe and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, right, greet each other before the Nations League soccer match between France and Portugal at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, France. Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Kylian Mbappe is not just a clash of soccer icons but a clash of generations. They’ll go head to head when Portugal plays France in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals on Friday and their heavyweight meeting just got a little bit bigger after Ronaldo said this would be his last European Championship. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

FILE - Kylian Mbappe of France adjusts his mask after scoring a penalty kick during a Group D match between the France and Poland at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, on June 25, 2024. Kylian Mbappé has had more masks than goals at Euro 2024. Widely regarded as the heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as soccer's biggest icon, the France striker is struggling with his peripheral vision due to the protective face covering he has been fitted with since breaking his nose at the start of the European Championship. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is seen after the win against Slovenia during a round of sixteen match between Portugal and Slovenia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after scoring in penalty shoot outs of a round of sixteen match between Portugal and Slovenia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

HOUSTON (AP) — Texas officials Saturday were urging coastal residents to brace for a potential hit by Beryl as the storm is expected to regain hurricane strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

“We’re expecting the storm to make landfall somewhere on the Texas coast sometime Monday, if the current forecast is correct,” said Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “Should that happen, it’ll most likely be a category one hurricane.”

The earliest storm to develop into a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic, Beryl caused at least 11 deaths as it passed through the Caribbean islands earlier in the week. It then battered Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane, toppling trees but causing no injuries or deaths before weakening to a tropical storm as it moved across the Yucatan Peninsula.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicts that Beryl will intensify before making landfall, prompting expanded hurricane and storm surge watches. Beven said a hurricane warning is expected to be issued Sunday.

The storm will bring a dangerous storm surge — flooding portions of the Texas coast — along with high winds and heavy rains in areas, he said.

“There is an increasing risk of damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge along portions of the lower and middle Texas coast late Sunday into Monday,” the center said in an advisory, also warning that flash and urban flooding is likely in the eastern part of the state through the middle of next week.

Texas officials warned the state's entire coastline to brace for possible flooding, heavy rain and wind as they wait for a more defined path of the storm. The hurricane center has issued hurricane and storm surge watches for the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande north to San Luis Pass, less than 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Houston.

On Saturday, Beryl was about 415 miles (670 kilometers) southeast of Corpus Christi and had top sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center. It was moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is traveling in Taiwan, issued a pre-emptive disaster declaration for 40 counties.

Some Texas coastal cities called for voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas prone to flooding, banned beach camping and urged tourists traveling on the July 4 holiday weekend to move recreational vehicles from coastal parks.

Mitch Thames, a spokesman for Matagorda County, said Saturday that officials issued a voluntary evacuation request for the coastal areas of the county about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Houston to inform the large number of visitors in the area for the holiday weekend.

“You always plan for the worst and hope for the best. I certainly don’t want to ruin the holiday weekend for our visitors. But at the same time, our No. 1 goal is the health and safety of all our visitors and of course our residents. I’m not so much worried about our residents. Those folks that live down there, they’re used to this, they get it,” Thames said.

In Corpus Christi, officials asked visitors to cut their trips short and return home early if possible. Officials asked residents to secure their homes by boarding up windows if necessary and using sandbags to guard against possible flooding.

“We’re taking the storm very serious and we’re asking the community to take the storm very serious as well,” Corpus Christi Fire Chief Brandon Wade said during a Friday evening news conference.

Beryl already spread destruction in Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados this week. Three people have been reported dead in Grenada, three in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, three in Venezuela and two in Jamaica, officials said.

Mexican authorities had moved some tourists and residents out of low-lying areas around the Yucatan Peninsula before landfall, but tens of thousands remained to tough out the strong winds and storm surge. Much of the area around Tulum is just a few yards (meters) above sea level.

The city was plunged into darkness when the storm knocked out power as it came ashore. Screeching winds set off car alarms across the town. Wind and rain continued to whip the seaside city and surrounding areas Friday morning. Army brigades roved the streets of the tourist city, clearing fallen trees and power lines. No deaths or injuries have been reported.

After seeing Beryl tear through the Caribbean, 37-year-old Lucía Nagera Balcaza was among those who stocked up on food and hid away in their homes.

“Thank god, we woke up this morning and everything was all right,” she said. “The streets are a disaster, but we’re out here cleaning up.”

Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writer Martín Silva in Tulum, Mexico, contributed to this report.

A man practices acrobatics with a pole on the beach in the aftermath by Hurricane Beryl in Tulum, Mexico, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Soldiers collect branches felled by Hurricane Beryl, in Tulum, Mexico, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

A motorcyclist rides throw a street flooded by heavy rains from Hurricane Beryl, in Tulum, Mexico, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

A man walks on the beach in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl in Tulum, Mexico, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

A man and his dog stand on the shore of a beach in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl in Tulum, Mexico, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 4:16 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 5, 2024, and provided by NOAA, shows Hurricane Beryl over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Texas officials urged coastal residents to prepare as the storm moves toward the Gulf of Mexico. (NOAA via AP)

People stand on a rocky outcrop in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl in Tulum, Mexico, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)