New Delhi: The last game of matchday one was played at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig between Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Tomas Soucek’s Czech Republic. The Group F encounter was a literal game of two halves as both teams struggled to get going in the first half before stepping on the pedal in the second half. Both teams laboured through to halftime, barely looking like hitting the net as Portugal struggled to break down a resilient Czech defence. All the action was produced in the second half as Portugal relied on an extra-time winner to give them the three points.
The deadlock was broken ultimately in the 62nd minute as Slavia Prague midfielder Lukas Provod scored a screamer to put his side in front, giving them a well-deserved lead. The Czech midfielder curled a beautiful effort past Diogo Costa which hit the post on its way in, stunning the Portuguese. However, it was Provod’s goal that lit a fire under Robert Martinez’s men as they ended up scoring thrice in the last 20 minutes, out of which only two counted, to give their side the win against a buoyant Czech Republic side.
1) Cristiano Ronaldo makes UEFA Euro history yet again.
Ronaldo adds another UEFA European record to his name (Photo by Kevin Voigt/GettyImages)
One can’t talk about the UEFA European Championships without talking about Cristiano Ronaldo, such is his record in the tournament’s history. Adding another feather to his European cap, he now becomes the only player to represent their nation at six editions of the UEFA European Championships.
He currently holds the record for most appearances (26) and the most goals (14) in the competition, making it impossible to mention this tournament without talking about this legendary player. He almost marked this occasion by creating the winner for his side but was marginally, yet correctly, ruled offside.
Another goal in the tournament would mean that Ronaldo will hold another record in UEFA Euro history as he will become the oldest goalscorer in the tournament’s history at 39.
2) Roberto Martinez’s substitutions win it for him.
Roberto Martinez proves to be the difference maker in the clash. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
There was a huge hue-and-cry by fans online when Roberto Martinez was unveiled as the new manager of the Portuguese national team, as very few were convinced by his tenure with the Belgian national team. Belgium’s golden generation failed to win any trophies with Martinez at the helm and the ex-Everton manager was made to be the scapegoat for it.
However, his tenure with the Portuguese team has been excellent as he led them to 14 wins out of the 16 games he’s managed till now, including leading his team to victory in all 10 games in qualifying. Even today, Portugal’s win came down to his key substitutions as he brought on Francisco Conceição and Pedro Neto in the 87th minute and both of them combined to give their side the win.
Heading into the dying minutes of the game when the game was still at 1-1, Pedro Neto ran into the box from the left-hand side, drilling in a grounded cross that found its way through to Francisco Conceição after some shoddy defending by Robin Hranac, and the young Portuguese scored his first goal for his national team to give them the win.
3) A lapse in concentration costs the Czech Republic the game.
Defensive lapses prove to be Czech Republic’s downfall. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
For most of the game, the Czech defence was rock solid at the back, giving the Portuguese attack no room to dictate the play. Playing with a back five, the Czech defenders were on point with their tactics for large parts of the game and looked to really frustrate Portugal.
While defending, there were about 7-8 white shirts in the box, making it difficult for the Portuguese to create chances. Their defensive formation was so good that Portugal had to rely on multiple long shots to test the Czech keeper. However, a lapse in concentration cost the Czechs the game as the ball hit the net thrice in the last 20 minutes.
Portugal were given a lifeline in the 69th minute as Czech Republic keeper Jendrich Stanek palmed the ball right into the shin of Hranac and the ball looped into the net. Diogo Jota seemed to have won the game for his side late on but the Czechs were saved as Ronaldo was ruled offside by the smallest of margins. Right when it seemed that the Czechs would hold onto the lead, another moment of horrible defending led the ball straight into the path of Conceição, which allowed the youngster to score his first goal, helping his side to three points.
After a stunning strike by Lukas Provod gave Czech Republic the lead, a Robin Hranac own goal and a debut goal by Francisco Conceição helped Portugal win their opening game 2-1 as matchday one comes to an end. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
