There is no denying the Portuguese team’s and Ronaldo’s allure in EURO 2024. It said it all when more than 10,000 supporters turned out to witness the team that was ranked first in Group F exercise prior to their encounter against the Czech Republic. When Ronaldo participated in his sixth EURO game, he broke a record at the age of 39. Coach Roberto Martinez also started his close buddy Pepe, who at 41 years and 113 days old became the oldest player to compete in the event. Apart from these two seasoned players, the Portuguese squad had several elite players including Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leao, and Ruben Dias. The Portuguese club is definitely going for a strong win to solidify their status as a contender for the championship.

The Czech Republic squad, meanwhile, is essentially the same as it was in EURO 2020—where they were the “dark horse.” By starting the finest players on the pitch, including Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Soucek, and Patrik Schick, coach Ivan Hasek made it clear that his goal was to score points.

Even though they were underdogs, the Czech squad showed no fear of their rivals. Tomas Soucek did a great job of helping his teammates coordinate the ball play by playing the deepest position in midfield. The Czech Republic team came into the game with great anticipation and caused a lot of problems for Portugal on their right wing in the opening minutes.

But Portugal’s better class makes it easy for them to reclaim possession of the ball. “European Selecao” had nine shots, seventy-five percent of the ball, and executed a range of offensive plays in the first half. Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, and Bernardo Silva switch places a lot. Rafael Leao, a left winger for the Czech Republic, also caused havoc to the defence with his pace and skill. Ronaldo is the only person who can be found on the Portuguese team’s pathways to the ball.

In the 26th minute, following a period of uncertainty, the Portuguese team found themselves in a grave scenario. Bruno Fernandes on the right flank received the ball from Bernardo Silva after he made a move. Rafael Leao was a beat slower than the Portuguese midfielder wearing the number 8 shirt when he crossed the ball in an empty area for the AC Milan player to run in and cushion it.

In the 32nd minute, Ronaldo was granted an opportunity after Rafael Leao. The Portuguese captain made a deft move to face goalie Jindrich Stanek after receiving a precise pass from his colleague. But when Ronaldo kicked the ball and touched the opponent’s hand, bad luck struck again. The striker wearing shirt number seven was given another opportunity at the end of the first half, but Ronaldo’s turn and shot only made the crowd sad.

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Deadlocked in the first half, the Portuguese team increased the tempo of the attack in the second half. Coach Roberto Martinez also changed attack plans as his team often put pressure on the right wing.

But attacking a lot but not being able to score, the Portuguese team paid the price in the 62nd minute. In a rare move by the Czech Republic team, the ball was suddenly brought to Lukas Provod’s position in an empty position. . The Portuguese team’s defense was completely passive and the midfielder wearing the number 14 shirt of the Czech Republic freely watched and shot to defeat goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

 

Conceding a goal, the Portuguese team appeared confused on the offensive front. Ronaldo and his teammates often made bad passes, facing many difficulties against the deep-lying Czech Republic formation. But when the Portuguese team was still deadlocked, the Czech Republic defense made a mistake when Robin Hranac scored an own goal, bringing the match back to the starting line. More importantly, Robin Hranac was the Czech Republic player who played best from the beginning of the match with a series of accurate saves.

The last minutes witnessed the terrible pressure that the Portuguese team exerted in front of the Czech Republic’s goal. In the 87th minute, after Ronaldo’s header hit the post, Diogo Jota put the ball into the Czech Republic’s net. However, VAR stepped in and determined that Ronaldo was offside, and the Portuguese team’s goal was not recognized.

It seemed like the match would end in a draw, but coach Roberto Martinez’s changes were effective. Francisco Conceicao entered the field in the 90th minute and in just about 1 minute, he kicked the ball into the Czech Republic’s net, sealing a difficult 2-1 comeback for the Portuguese team.

Despite winning 2-1 against the Czech Republic, it is clear that the Portuguese team still has a lot of work to do. Coach Roberto Martinez’s students are ranked 2nd in Group F, with 3 points equal to the Turkish team but inferior in terms of additional index. In the next match, Ronaldo and his teammates will face the same opponent.