Portugal 2 Czech Republic 1: Dramatic late winner boosts Cristiano Ronaldo and Co

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Portugal’s blushes were spared as they came from behind to claim victory against the Czech Republic in their opening match at Euro 2024.

All eyes were on Cristiano Ronaldo – anticipating the performance of a player who has been playing in Saudi Arabia for 18 months – but the 39-year-old missed a good chance to give his side the lead in the first half.

Instead, it was the Czech Republic who took the lead, with another effort from outside the box. Lukas Provod’s lovely hit was the 11th goal from outside the penalty area of ​​this year’s tournament.

Portugal struggled to establish themselves in attack but had a huge share of luck when Robin Hranac converted into his own goal seven minutes after going behind.

It seemed their luck had changed when Ronaldo was ruled just offside by the video assistant referee after his rebound header was put away by Diogo Jota.

But then, in the final minutes, substitute Francisco Conceicao won all three points for Roberto Martinez’s side with only his second touch after 111 seconds on the pitch.

Here, Athleticism Tim Spiers, Tom Burrows and Sam Lee bring us the talking points.

Was Portugal good?

It’s good to know that England aren’t the only ones struggling to fit their quality players into a cohesive set-up. Portugal had a late victory which boosted their morale and showed that they had enough options (quality on the bench, versatility on the pitch) to find different solutions, and that more would be expected of them after finding a way across the finish line, but, much like England, it was far from the most convincing opening victory.

They dominated the ball and the Czech Republic were quite happy with that, but Portugal never really clicked, despite deploying an admirable free-flowing system.

Bernardo Silva, in particular, appeared everywhere, although he was often placed high next to Ronaldo, while Bruno Fernandes offered more depth to win the ball from the central defenders. Neither role worked out the way Martinez would have hoped.

Portugal’s build-up was too slow, with few players performing well in the middle, and Joao Cancelo, Vitinha and Rafael Leao struggling to create moving forward. The right side was largely quiet until winger Diogo Dalot moved higher after half-time. Then Cancelo moved in from the left and, late on, placed a fine cross for Portugal’s disallowed goal, a move which was probably aided by Ruben Dias who made an underfoot run from centre-back as the Portugal committed more men forward.

The match looked destined for a deserved draw, only for two late Portuguese substitutes to combine for the winner. Pedro Neto collected a long ball on the line, dribbled into space and found Conceicao – making his international debut – who bundled the ball home.

It’s not the kind of trigger they were looking for, but it will do it tonight.

Sam Lee

How did Ronaldo behave?

Like it or not, Ronaldo is still the name on everyone’s lips when it comes to this Portugal team. The number of fans wearing his name on their jersey is around 10 times that of other players. His name was roared with the volume of a goal during the reading of the compositions and they applauded his every touch during the warm-up. The cult of Ronaldo is alive and well.

But now he’s 39 (the second oldest player in the tournament behind teammate Pepe, who is the oldest player in the entire European Championship at 41) and had an unusually quiet night as the Republic rarely ventured forward) and plays in the Saudi Pro League, could he still succeed in an international tournament?

Well, he was much more involved in the game than during the 2022 World Cup (when he was so ineffective that he was dropped). He created a chance for Vitinha with a stylish shot, he had a few chances himself, including a header which he deflected, a shot on the corner and a free kick too close to the keeper. He was also, very clearly, the leader and talisman of the team.


Ronaldo celebrates with Conceicao (Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)

Among Portugal’s starting XI, he had the fewest touches and the most shots, which is about what you would expect at this stage of his career. On any other team, it seems like this kind of player needs goals to justify his place, but either way, he’s a certain starter. The Ronaldo roadshow continues.

Tim Spiers

Disappointment for stubborn Czechs

In a defensive display, the physically imposing Czech Republic absorbed Portuguese pressure for much of the match played in pouring rain in Leipzig.

Ivan Hasek, who only returned to lead his country for a second term in January, put his team in a conservative 5-3-2 formation against opponents filled with a stellar cast of names.

Portugal completed 408 passes before the break, the tournament’s first-half record, in what looked like an attack versus defense practice match. Martinez’s side also earned eight corners in the first half, but the strong Czech Republic held on, frustrating their opponents.

Although Portugal dominated possession, they never hit the mark and after 61 minutes it was the Czech Republic who took the lead when Provod scored a sumptuous strike from outside the box. It was a beautiful moment for the Slavia Prague midfielder, who missed the last European Championship three years ago due to a cruel ACL injury and studied for a degree in economics during his convalescence.

In the end, Portugal’s equalizer came thanks to a huge chance when Czech Republic goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek parried the ball sliding over the knee of centre-back Robin Hranac and into the net.

As the match drew to a close, the Czech Republic, who had moved to 5-4-1, grew tired and Portugal finally got their winner against Conceicao.

It was a cruel blow to death. Next, Hasek’s team will face Georgia on Saturday, who lost 3-1 to Turkey today in what was the match of the tournament so far. They will have to show greater offensive verve.

Tom Burrows

What did Portugal coach Roberto Martinez say?

We’ll bring you that after his speech at the post-match press conference.

What is Czech Republic Coach Ivan Hasek said?

We’ll bring you that after his speech at the post-match press conference.

What future for Portugal?

Saturday June 22: Türkiye (Dortmund), 5 p.m. BST, noon ET

What future for the Czech Republic?

Saturday June 22: Georgia (Hamburg), 2 p.m. BST, 9 a.m. ET

Recommended reading

(Top photo: Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)





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