Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to appear in six European Championships as Portugal opened their Euro 2024 campaign with a 2-1 win over Czechia.
The legendary striker had just seven caps to his name heading into his first continental tournament, Euro 2004, but entered this summer’s tournament with no fewer than 207 caps for his country under his belt.
However, Ronaldo could not find the points to mark his 208th game, as his Portugal side struggled to beat Czechia 2-1 on Tuesday evening.
Portugal enjoyed plenty of possession early on, with Bruno Fernandes pulling the strings from deep and Rafael Leao always looking to get in down the left wing.
Ronaldo failed to capitalize on an early header and had the best of Czech goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek’s chances, although replays soon showed the Al Nassr star had missed the offside trap.
Stanek denied Ronaldo again just before half-time, with Portugal on top but clearly struggling to find any clear-cut chances behind Czechia’s strong defence. It was the first time in Euro 2024 that the game was tied 0-0 at halftime.
Portugal were more focused on crosses, hitting the ball into the box a good 20 times before the break, and that carried over into the second half when Roberto Martinez’s side pushed for the opening goal.
However, they would find themselves chasing the game on the hour mark as Lukas Provod curled home from outside the box to deliver another shock.
Portugal will not be in a hurry for long. Nine minutes later, the scores were tied when Stanek pushed Nuno Mendes’ header into the legs of the retreating Robin Hranac, who watched in horror as the ball returned to the net.
With the clock ticking down, Portugal thought they had the winner as Liverpool’s Diogo Jota headed Ronaldo’s goal, but automatic offside technology quickly confirmed the 39-year-old was an inch offside – a good advertisement. with the program.
The destruction was soon evident as, in the 92nd minute, debutant Francisco Conceicao made a lucky deflection to slot home from close range and guide Portugal to victory.
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