Portugal narrowly wins against the Czech Republic

Portugal narrowly wins against the Czech Republic with an unbelievable scenario on the opening day of Euro 2024

Portugal narrowly wins against the Czech Republic despite having 74% ball possession and 19 shots (compared to 5 by their opponent). However, Ronaldo and his teammates conceded first, equalized thanks to an own goal, and had to wait until injury time to pull off a dramatic comeback.

Score: Portugal 2-1 Czech Republic

Goalscorers: Portugal: Robin Hranac (own goal), Francisco Conceicao; Czech Republic: Lukas Provod

As soon as the referee blew the whistle to start the match, Portugal immediately pressed forward, hoping for an early goal. Ronaldo, on a historic Euro appearance, threatened the Czech Republic’s goal with a header in the 8th minute, but it missed the target.

That move seemed to boost the Portuguese players’ spirits in breaking through the Czech defense, with Rafael Leao being particularly outstanding.

On a day when he played alongside veteran Ronaldo, Milan’s star stirred up the left flank with speedy and skillful runs. However, Leao alone wasn’t enough to break through the Czech Republic’s dense defense.

On the Czech side, coach Ivan Hasek’s team relied on wing attacks but were helpless against a defense led by the veteran Pepe. The first half ended goalless.

In the second half, the game dynamics didn’t change much, with Roberto Martinez’s men continuing to dominate possession. However, while still struggling to find a goal, Portugal paid the price when Lukas Provod of the Czech Republic scored a beautiful goal in the 62nd minute.

However, it didn’t take long for the “Selecao EURO” to equalize after an unfortunate own goal by defender Robin Hranac.

In the remaining time, Portugal launched an all-out attack to seek a win. After Diogo Jota’s “missed goal,” Portuguese fans were ecstatic with a goal from young star Francisco Conceicao, completing a thrilling comeback with a 2-1 scoreline.

The 3 points gained gave Portugal a favorable start in Group F of Euro 2024. However, they still rank behind Turkey due to a lower goal difference.