The match between Portugal and the Czech Republic on the RB Leipzig stadium was the final match of the primary spherical of the Euro 2024 group stage. It was marked by the nice document of Cristiano Ronaldo, who, by taking the sector, sealed the looks in his sixth European Championship in his profession! For the primary time, CR7 performed on the Euro on the age of 19, 20 years in the past, when the championship was held in Portugal and Ronaldo, as the invention of the match, was a kind of who led Luiz Felipe Scolari’s workforce to the grand last, the place Greece was sensationally higher.
Watch the video Robert Lewandowski received on his bike and it began…
Ronaldo can also be the undisputed Euro document holder by way of targets scored. Earlier than this match, he had as many as 14, whereas the second Frenchman, Michel Platini, had “solely” 9. The now 39-year-old Portuguese additionally managed to win the principle trophy. It occurred eight years in the past in France, when Fernando Santos’ workforce beat France 1-0 within the last due to a objective by Eder.
Cristiano Ronaldo was within the beginning line-up of his nationwide workforce on Tuesday and was essentially the most harmful participant within the Portuguese workforce in a weak first half. The Portuguese appeared as in the event that they wished to win the match with as little effort as doable, whereas the Czechs, bunkered in entrance of the penalty space, had no intention of going into the opponent’s half.
The Portuguese had a major optical benefit, however they executed many set items terribly and performed too slowly to shock the opponent’s protection. So that they had been left with pictures from a distance, however even these didn’t pose any risk to the opponent’s objective.
Lastly, within the thirty first minute, Bruno Fernandes made a unbelievable through-ball go, however Cristiano Ronaldo misplaced the duel with the Czech goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek in a one-on-one scenario. Ronaldo additionally made a pleasant shot from a dozen or so meters on the finish of the primary a part of the sport, however even then Stanek was not shocked.
Rafael Leao additionally had his likelihood, as he narrowly missed the ball throughout a counterattack after Bernardo Silva’s cross. So till the break there was a goalless attract Leipzig.
Within the second a part of the match, the image of the sport didn’t change a lot. Portugal performed slowly and predictably, they primarily appeared for Cristiano Ronaldo’s crosses, however to no avail. Striker Al Nassr additionally tried his luck with a free kick, but it surely hit straight into the fingers of Jindrich Stanek.
The Czechs attacked for the primary time within the 62nd minute and… took the lead. Lukas Provod scored an important shot from 20 meters and opened the scoring.
Portugal lastly needed to get right down to enterprise. Nevertheless, the Czechs themselves helped her when, within the 69th minute, after receiving a header from Nuno Mendes, goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek shot the ball at his defender, Robin Hranac, and it hit their objective.
The Portuguese continued to assault, though the Czechs additionally tried to combat again. On the one hand, the pictures of Bernardo Silva and Vitinha had been effectively defended by Stanek, on the opposite, Tomas Soucek’s flat try from a distance handed the Portuguese objective.
Within the 87th minute, it appeared that Portugal had achieved their objective. After being centered from deep within the discipline, Cristiano Ronaldo fired a header on the opponent’s objective put up, and though substitute Diogo Jota made an efficient rebound, VAR canceled the objective after some time as a result of Ronaldo was minimally offside.
Nevertheless, this was not the final phrase for Portugal, as a result of within the second minute of added time the objective was scored by two gamers who had been launched a minute earlier. Pedro Neto bumped into the penalty space with the ball on the left aspect and shot the ball in entrance of the objective, the place Robin Hranac made a horrible mistake and Francisco Conceicao scored from shut vary.
Though Portugal didn’t persuade on this match, they ultimately defeated the Czechs 2:1 and received the primary three factors at Euro 2024. Within the second spherical, on Saturday, Portugal will face Turkey in Dortmund for the victory in Group F, whereas the Czechs will play in Hamburg with Georgia.