Initially ineffective and then late, the Seleção's players found the wherewithal to oust the determined Czechs on Tuesday 18 June in Leipzig.
Portugal was largely dominant but ineffective for a long period, with Cristiano Ronaldo at the top, and had to wait until the final moments to pull themselves away from the Czech Republic and finally win 2-1 on Tuesday in Leipzig in their Euro 2024 debut.
Portugal were the last big names to enter the competition in Germany, and even if France or England also struggle to win, they are undoubtedly the ones who struggle the most to win.
It was already necessary to wait until the end of stoppage time and score a goal from the substitutes for the Seleção to snatch three points from the brave but somewhat limited Czechs.
The winning goal was scored by youngster Francisco Conceicao, son of former great player and current coach Sergio Conceicao, after a pass from Pedro Neto, the two players who had just entered the field (2-1, 90+2).
Shortly before that, the Seleção already thought they had won the match, but Diogo Jota's goal was disallowed for offside by Cristiano Ronaldo, whose header hit the post (87').
In the end, CR7, who entered the Leipzig turf and has now participated in a record six Euros, had his weight but did not score and wasted many of the chances within his reach. Therefore, he will have to wait a little longer to become the top scorer in the European Championship.
It is understood that Ronaldo is immortal, but we saw on Tuesday that he may still be less attractive than he was at some point.
Register for Baby
Starting as expected, the former Real Madrid striker initially struggled to find his feet, frequently collapsing on Leipzig's wet pitch, without particularly bothering the referee.
While the Czech team defended 11 out of 30 meters for almost the entire match, the Portuguese captain had three clear chances in the first half, as he missed a slight header (eighth) and then two strikes from Yendresh Stanek (minutes 32 and 45).
In fantastic conditions but under torrential rain at times, the Portuguese quickly established themselves in the opposing camp and pressed a lot, especially on the left where Rafael Leão had too much to do any damage.
Read also:
re. Portugal – Czech Republic: A painful Portuguese victory after a difficult battle! Get the match back
For his part, Pepe (41 years old) became the oldest player to play a match in the European Championship, but Portugal sometimes played too much at the pace of its forty-year-old defender.
In the 62nd minute, the Czech team took advantage of the opportunity to open the scoring with a beautiful right-footed shot from Lukas Provod. Portugal was then punished primarily for its incompetence, but also a little for its complacency, as its dominance lacked intensity.
But while they risked finding themselves in a somewhat uncertain position in Group F, where Turkey, their next opponent on Saturday, made a strong impression, Ronaldo's teammates reacted quickly.
In the 69th minute, they returned to score. After a cross from Bernardo Silva and a header from Parisian Nuno Mendes, Stanek clumsily cleared the ball to Ruben Hranac, scoring his team's goal (1-1).
In the last moments, Roberto Martinez's players finally achieved an important and well-deserved success in general. But Portugal, which describes itself as ambitious – and we can understand that given the starting lineup and the options on the bench – will undoubtedly have to do more to go far.
