Turkey were the second-best team of the evening yesterday, suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Portugal. Roberto Martinez's, men who are considered favorites to win this year's UEFA Euro competition in Germany, took the lead with a clinical finish from Manchester City's Bernardo Silva inside the box.
The match saw four incidents of pitch invasion as fans rushed towards Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo to take selfies. However, this did not deter Portugal from scoring again, as they secured their second goal due to a defensive miscommunication in Turkey's backline, resulting in a bizarre own goal by Samet Akayidin in the 26th minute.
Ten minutes into the second half, Cristiano Ronaldo set up Bruno Fernandes perfectly, and the Manchester United captain slotted the ball into the empty net to make it 3-0 for Portugal. Ronaldo's assist also made him the oldest player to provide an assist in the history of the UEFA Euro competition, at 39 years and 138 days, as confirmed by the UEFA Euro 2024 Official X page.
In another milestone in Cristiano Ronaldo's remarkable career, he was named in Portugal's starting lineup against Czech Republic, becoming the first player to feature in a sixth European Championship. However, he missed a goal to commemorate the occasion.
During the first half, especially, he appeared sluggish and often found himself out of position for crosses into the box, despite Roberto Martinez's star-studded Portugal team dominating possession from the start but struggling in the final third.
Nevertheless, the 39-year-old had the best chances for his team. He missed a one-on-one opportunity from a pass by Bruno Fernandes and had a diagonal shot saved in first-half stoppage time. Earlier, he had a decent headed chance that narrowly missed the post. Ronaldo was highly productive during Portugal's qualifying campaign, leading with 10 goals. However, outside the competitive environment of European football and in Saudi Arabia, it seems he might require some time to regain full form at this tournament.
He nearly created a decisive moment when his header rebounded off the post and was turned into the net by Diogo Jota, but an offside decision against him denied Portugal the goal. Instead, it was left to Portugal's new generation, with Francisco Conceicao emerging as the hero on this occasion.
Ronaldo savored the result, celebrating with his teammates after the final whistle. Yet, he undoubtedly aims to leave his own imprint. Even in the twilight of his career and despite a challenging start to the tournament, one wouldn't discount him from making an impact in the upcoming games.
