Belgium set up a mouth-watering quarter-final tie against Italy by ousting defending champions Portugal from Euro 2020 with a 1-0 win in the last 16 on Sunday.
Thorgan Hazard's 43rd-minute strike secured victory for Roberto MartÃnez's side, which survived a lot of pressure from the Portuguese in the second half.
But with the finishing touches missing, it was the end of the road for Cristiano Ronaldo and a team from Portugal who won Paris five years earlier.
Ronaldo was dismissed with five goals in four matches and is currently the tournament's top scorer. Still, it remains to be seen whether the 36-year-old will return for a sixth Euro in Germany in 2024 or whether the competition's all-time top scorer will be out of national team duty after next year's Qatar World Cup.
The Belgian was among the favorites before the tournament, but it was a strange and uninspired performance and would need to step up their game significantly if they are to surpass Roberto Mancini's Azzurri, who is unbeaten in 31 matches. .
Thorgan Hazard's fine goal was his only attempt on target in the full 90 minutes and there was little invention or flair from his midfield.
"We were playing well in the first half and putting pressure on Portugal, but looking at the second half we are lucky to win," Belgian defender Thomas Vermeulen said.
The task against Italy could be even more difficult if Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard, both of whom have been knocked out in the second half, are unable to recover from their latest injury woes.
Portugal got off to a great start and Diogo Jota missed a big opportunity in the sixth minute, widening his shot after Renato Sanches broke through midfield and found it in a promising position on the left.
Ronaldo then tested Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois with a low-stroke free kick as Fernando Santos's team continued to build pressure.
But Belgium rose in the game and De Bruyne became increasingly dominant and took the lead three minutes before the interval.
A smart passing move ended with Thomas Meunier feeding Thorgan Hazard, whose wickedly curved shot passed past wrong-footed Portugal keeper Rui Patricio.
Patricio stepped to the right in anticipation of a near post shot, but could not turn back and was beaten by an effort that flew off center.
"In games like these you have to grab your chances with both hands and voila, the goalkeeper expected me to pick the other corner, so the ball went in," the scorer said.
Belgium were dealt a blow when De Bruyne was injured three minutes after the break and Santos tried to revive his side's attack by introducing Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix off the bench.
Ronaldo did well to find Jota in the box, cutting Jota to the right, but the forward's attempt again was off target as the Belgian struggled to stop his opponents.
Belgium's attempts to counter were increasingly scarce and Portugal turned up the heat in the final 10 minutes as they desperately searched for an equalizer.
Courtois punches a Ruben Dias header from a corner and then Raphael Guerreiro hits the post with a sweet first shot from the edge of the box.
In extra time, Portugal created a final opportunity but Felix's drive went past Courtois's right hand post.
"I didn't have much work to do in the last three games, but I knew it wouldn't happen against Portugal," Courtois said.
"I am proud of my teammates, they defended very well. Italy will be difficult too, but we have proved today that we are up for it," he said.
Eden Hazard, who has struggled with injuries over the past two seasons, developed what looked like a hamstring strain three minutes from the end.
Belgium will face Italy, who beat Austria 2-1 on Saturday in Munich on July 2.