Record-breaking Ronaldo upstaged as Portugal find the formula for Euro 2024 glory
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Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be relevant through different time periods. He took over Sergio Conceicao's spot in the Portugal team twenty years ago. Recently, Ronaldo set a new record while Sergio's offspring, Francisco Conceicao, came to Portugal's rescue, stealing the spotlight from the veteran player. Francisco scored a crucial game-winning goal, which has often been associated with Ronaldo's playing style.
At first, Roberto Martinez seemed unusually hesitant, but he took a risk after a Diogo Jota goal was not counted and made three substitutions at the 90-minute mark.
Pedro Neto and Conceicao arrived in the game with Nelson Semedo. In no time, the two wing players made a significant contribution by scoring a goal. Neto made a cross, but Robin Hranac was unable to clear it, and the ball landed for Conceicao to score. This showed Portugal has a wide range of skilled players in their team.
Martinez didn't bring on Ronaldo and Felix as the team's first subs. Instead, Jota was the first winger to come off the bench and he quickly scored a goal that made the fans go wild. Ronaldo had a close call when his header hit the post, but the technology showed his shoulder was offside. Ronaldo tends to make his runs earlier nowadays and was already far into the Czechia half when Portugal started moving forward. Even though Ronaldo's header didn't count, it was still impressive to see him jump so high and show off his strong neck muscles.
Ronaldo had an eventful evening, but in the end, Portugal was victorious. It's unclear whether it was due to luck or strategy, but they definitely owe a big thank you to Hranac for scoring an own goal and assisting with the winning goal. The team was surprised when Lukas Provod scored a great goal for Czechia, which was the highlight of the game, but it wasn't enough to win.
The match had a breathtaking finish and marked a significant moment in history. The game happened in the Euro 2024 stadium in the former East Germany, a place that holds a special meaning to two players born during the time when East Germany existed. Pepe, who is 41 years and 113 days old, beat Gabor Kiraly's record as the oldest player to compete in a European Championships. Ronaldo also became the first footballer to participate in six European Championships.
Ronaldo's hopes of becoming the first to score in six matches will be postponed for a while after facing defeat against a goalkeeper who used to play for Hyde United. Jindrich Stanek, who currently plays for Slavia Prague but was previously on loan at Hyde United nine years ago, managed to block Ronaldo's attempts three times, despite Ronaldo being used to playing for a much larger team in Greater Manchester. Although Ronaldo and his teammate Jota scored a goal each, it was only a temporary victory for Czechia as the goalkeeper's quick reflexes prevented any further goals from being scored.
Although lacking in skill and ambition, the opposing team managed to stay organized and determined throughout the match. Despite finishing lower than Albania in qualifying matches, they put pressure on Portugal for their lack of effort in the first half. Goalkeeper Diogo Costa was not challenged until an unexpected shot made it past him. Midfielder Provod scored his third international goal with an expertly curled shot from the edge of the box, despite missing out on the opportunity to play in Euro 2020 due to injury and instead pursuing studies in economics. Although the opposing team had limited chances throughout the game, midfielder Thomas Soucek came close to scoring the winning goal.
During the game in Portugal, Martinez unexpectedly used a new formation consisting of a back three with a 3-4-1-2 structure. This allowed Ronaldo and Rafael Leao to play as split strikers and move freely on the field. Although Martinez is usually known for taking risks, he may have played it safe this time. By moving Bruno Fernandes to a new position alongside Vitinha, some believed he suffered from Martinez’s experimenting. Regardless, Fernandes demonstrated his creativity and was instrumental in Portugal's best attempts at scoring before half-time. One of his powerful shots nearly found the net, but it was deflected just over the bar. Leao tried to convert a cross from Fernandes but narrowly missed.
During the game, there was a play where Fernandes used a laser-guided precision pass, which led to Ronaldo sprinting past the Czech defence. This could have resulted in a goal, but unfortunately, Stanek made an impressive save. Even if Ronaldo was just offside, it did not matter because of the great save. Stanek continued to impress by blocking Ronaldo's turn shot and managing to catch a free kick, although it lacked the usual power of Ronaldo's kicks. Additionally, the goalkeeper also prevented Bernardo Silva from scoring with a great save.
However, one of his saves resulted in the opposing team scoring a goal and tying up the game. Stanek blocked Nuno Mendes's header, but unfortunately for Hranec, it ricocheted off of him and went into the net. This demonstrated that Portugal had success when they crossed the ball and had more players in the penalty area. This strategy led to two more goals, one of which was not allowed, but the other was permitted and celebrated loudly. Ironically, for Ronaldo, who is closer in age to Conceicao senior than junior, this victory showed that age doesn't matter in the game of soccer.
