Ronaldo squandered his chances, Portugal team 'sweat' to beat Czech Republic

The appeal of the Portuguese team and Ronaldo at EURO 2024 is undeniable. More than 10,000 fans showed up to watch the team rated highest in Group F practice before the match against the Czech Republic, which said it all. At the age of 39, Ronaldo set a record when he played for the 6th time at EURO. His close friend Pepe was also selected by coach Roberto Martinez to start, becoming the oldest player ever to play in the tournament (41 years and 113 days). In addition to these two veteran players, the Portuguese team also fielded many high-class players such as Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leao, Ruben Dias. A big win, affirming their position as a championship candidate is certainly what the Portuguese team is aiming for.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic team is not much different from EURO 2020 - where they were the "dark horse". Coach Ivan Hasek did not hide his intention to gain points by sending his best players such as Patrik Schick, Tomas Soucek, Vladimir Coufal onto the field.

Ronaldo (right cover) and Pepe (left cover) set new EURO records

Despite being underestimated, the Czech Republic team was not afraid of their opponents. Tomas Soucek was positioned to play the deepest in midfield and he helped his teammates coordinate the ball very well. In the first minutes, the Czech Republic team entered the game with excitement and caused many difficulties on the right wing of Portugal.

However, with their superior class, Portugal had no difficulty in regaining control of the ball. In the first half, the "European Selecao" held the ball 75% of the time, had 9 shots and carried out a variety of attacking moves. The trio of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, and Vitinha frequently changed positions. Rafael Leao, with his speed and technique, also tormented the Czech Republic's defense on the left wing. The only destination in the Portuguese team's attacks was none other than Ronaldo.

Rafael Leao stands out in the attack of the Portuguese team

Ronaldo still brings a lot of danger even though he is 39 years old

After a period of confusion, the Portuguese team had a dangerous situation in the 26th minute. Bernardo Silva, after a move, passed the ball to Bruno Fernandes on the right wing. In an empty position, the Portuguese midfielder wearing the number 8 shirt crossed for Rafael Leao to run in and cushion the ball, but the AC Milan player was a beat slow.

Following Rafael Leao, Ronaldo was given a chance in the 32nd minute. The Portuguese captain moved smartly, receiving a delicate pass from his teammate to face goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek. However, luck was once again not on Ronaldo's side when his shot hit the opponent's hand. At the end of the first half, the striker wearing the number 7 shirt was given another chance but Ronaldo's turn and shot only left fans with regret.

Ronaldo had many chances but could not score in the first half

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

But after attacking a lot but not being able to score, the Portuguese team paid the price in the 62nd minute. In a rare attack by the Czech team, the ball was unexpectedly passed to Lukas Provod in an empty position. The Portuguese team's defense was completely passive and the Czech midfielder wearing the number 14 shirt comfortably watched and fired a shot past goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

Portugal's defense was complacent and conceded a goal.

Lukas Provod is the owner of the beautiful goal against the Portuguese team.

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.

Robin Hranac (number 4) scored an own goal, helping the Portuguese team equalize

The final minutes witnessed the terrible pressure that the Portuguese team put on the Czech Republic goal. In the 87th minute, after Ronaldo's header hit the post, Diogo Jota put the ball into the Czech Republic net. However, VAR intervened 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 substitutions paid off. Francisco Conceicao came on in the 90th minute and it only took him about a minute to score against the Czech Republic, sealing a hard-fought 2-1 comeback for the Portuguese team.

Portugal team makes a comeback thanks to an unexpected face

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.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ronaldo-phung-phi-co-hoi-doi-tuyen-bo-dao-nha-toat-mo-hoi-moi-thang-noi-ch-czech-185240619035803037.htm