Portugal left it late but kickstarted their Euro 2024 with a nervy 2-1 win in Group F against a brave Czech Republic side. Roberto Martinez’s men looked devoid of ideas for large parts of the game, but their strength in depth came to the fore as Francisco Conceicao bagged a last-gasp winner.
Czech Republic had taken the lead shortly after halftime with a wonder goal courtesy of Lukas Provod but couldn’t contain Selecao das Quinas.
Portugal vs Czech Republic Highlights – EURO 2024 GROUP F
24′ – OVER: Portugal tried to find the breakthrough and Bruno Fernandes let rip from outside the box. The Manchester United captain’s effort sailed just over the bar as Roberto Martinez’s men pushed for the opener.
32‘– SAVE: Bruno Fernandes plays Cristiano Ronaldo through on goal with an eye-of-the-needle pass. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is denied by Czechia goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek, who does well in coming out early to keep the talismanic forward at bay. The Slavia Prague shot-stopper also stopped Vitinha from scoring on the follow-up.
39′ – YELLOW: Rafael Leao picks up a booking for simulation after going down under the challenge of West Ham United’s Tomas Soucek. He seems surprised, but it was a clear dive from the AC Milan forward.
45+1′ – SAVE: Cristiano Ronaldo had an opportunity to put his side in front on the brink of halftime. The Al-Nassr superstar powered a fierce attempt at the Czech’s goal that Stanek did well to stop. The two nations headed in at halftime at 0-0, the first Euro 2024 group game to be scoreless after 45 minutes.
57′ – YELLOW: Czechia frontman Patrick Schick had his name taken after a foul on Joao Cancelo.
62′ – GOAL: Lukas Provod pops up with a thunderbolt to put Czechia in front against the run of play. The Slavia Prague winger was found by Vladimir Coufal on the edge of the box and sent a ferocious effort past Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
69′ – GOAL: Czechia couldn’t keep Portugal at bay, and Robin Hranac put through his own net after Stanek’s poor goalkeeping. Cristiano Ronaldo grabs the ball and races to the other end of the pitch to get his men back in place for a winner.
72′ – SAVE: Stanek somewhat makes up for his questionable role in Portugal’s leveler with a fine stop to deny Bernardo Silva. Second-half substitute Diogo Jota had found the Manchester City playmaker with a clever ball, but the attacker failed to find the net.
81′ – MISS: Tomas Soucek tried his luck from just outside the box, and the ball flew past Diogo Costa’s goal.
87′ – NO GOAL: Selecao have the ball in the back of the net when Diogo Jota heads home from close range after Cristiano Ronaldo’s header hits the post. A quick VAR check rules the goal out, as Ronaldo was in an offside position when the initial cross was made.
90+2′ – GOAL: Selecao netted again, and this time, it counted courtesy of Francisco Conceicao, who had only entered the fray two minutes earlier. He combined with fellow late substitute Pedro Neto to give one of Euro 2024’s favorites a vital victory.
90+3′ – YELLOW: Conceicao received a booking after taking his shirt off when celebrating his last-gasp winner.
Player of the Match: Vitinha (Portugal)
Vitinha was excellent at Red Bull Arena in Leipzig and put in a commanding performance in the middle of the park. He made two key passes, won all six of his ground duels, and found his man with four of six long ball attempts. The PSG man will be vital for Selecao in Germany.
Key Moment
Lukas Provod’s opener sparked urgency among Portugal’s players to not start their Euro 2024 campaign with a loss.
Key Stats
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to play in six different European Championship finals. Portugal have won their second consecutive opening game of a European Championship finals for the first time in history (previously beat Hungary 3-0 at Euro 2020). Tonight was the first and only group game when both nations headed in goalless at halftime.
Conclusion
Portugal have been tipped as one of the Euro 2024 favorites but tonight was a wake-up call for Roberto Martinez’s men. They lacked composure in front of goal and will need to be more ruthless against tougher opposition. Czechia were brave defensively but poor going forward.