Euro 2008 - Day 5: Deco And Ronaldo Send Portugal To Quarterfinals
June 11th 2008 20:47
In a fairly balanced game where both teams had scoring opportunities, Portugal's stars came out to shine, leading their team to victory and to the quarterfinals. Luis Felipe Scolari's team started the game with the same roster that defeated Turkey 2-0 on opening day while the Czechs made two changes – Milan Baros started in place of striker Jan Koller and Marek Matejovsky replaced David Jarolim in midfield.
Portugal took control of the game early on by keeping possession of the ball. Though they moved around a lot, they couldn't seem to find space in the Czech's defensive double curtain. They finally found a break in the defense at the 8th minute when they finally reached Nuno Gomes at the edge of the box. The striker immediately passed the ball to Ronaldo who entered the box unchallenged. Petr Cech quickly came out off his line and blocked the winger's shot, the ball made its way to a wide open Deco whose first shot was blocked once again by Cech. The playmaker didn't miss the rebound however, and Portugal found themselves in the lead with less than ten minutes on the clock. The Czechs returned the favor almost ten minutes later on a corner kick where Libo Sionko's diving head beat Ricardo.
The rest of the game was more balanced even though Portugal had a lot more possession time. At the 63th minute, Deco – positioned on the right wing during the play – made an incisive ground pass to Cristiano Ronaldo who was entering the 18-yard box. The winger struck the ball on contact and put his team in the lead. At 2-1, the Czechs started to attack more. Desperate for more offense, Karel Bruckner put towering giant Jan Koller in Galasek's place. The team in red came close to equalizing the mark several times, with Sionko and Baros often inches away to giving a second goal to their team but it was not to be.
Indeed, with his defense slowly wilting under Czech pressure, Scolari proceeded to make some changes in order to strengthen his midfield. Fernando Meira replaced Moutinho, Almeida replaced Gomes, and Quaresma replaced a very disappointing Simao. Portugal finally got their insurance goal at the first minute of extra-time. Cristiano Ronaldo beat the Czechs' offside trap after a free-kick and found himself in a one-on-one situation against Petr Cech. Now, the younger Ronaldo would have tried to beat the keeper, but this Ronaldo, with the captain's armband around his sleeve, passed the ball to incoming Quaresma who scored his first goal of the tournament in his first appearance.
My man of the match: Cristiano Ronaldo. The superstar scored the winning goal for his team. Later, he unselfishly dropped a pass to Ricardo Quaresma who only had to push the ball in an empty net.
Honorable mentions:
- Deco. After an average performance in the first game, Portugal's playmaker is slowly finding his groove. His perseverance allowed him to score his team's first goal and his beautiful pass set up Ronaldo's goal.
- Libo Sionko. The Czech midfielder was the most dangerous player of his team. He scored their only goal, and gave a lot of trouble to the Portuguese defense.
- Petr Cech. Despite giving away three goals, the goalkeeper was the best member of his team's defense which had completely abandoned him.
Portugal took control of the game early on by keeping possession of the ball. Though they moved around a lot, they couldn't seem to find space in the Czech's defensive double curtain. They finally found a break in the defense at the 8th minute when they finally reached Nuno Gomes at the edge of the box. The striker immediately passed the ball to Ronaldo who entered the box unchallenged. Petr Cech quickly came out off his line and blocked the winger's shot, the ball made its way to a wide open Deco whose first shot was blocked once again by Cech. The playmaker didn't miss the rebound however, and Portugal found themselves in the lead with less than ten minutes on the clock. The Czechs returned the favor almost ten minutes later on a corner kick where Libo Sionko's diving head beat Ricardo.
The rest of the game was more balanced even though Portugal had a lot more possession time. At the 63th minute, Deco – positioned on the right wing during the play – made an incisive ground pass to Cristiano Ronaldo who was entering the 18-yard box. The winger struck the ball on contact and put his team in the lead. At 2-1, the Czechs started to attack more. Desperate for more offense, Karel Bruckner put towering giant Jan Koller in Galasek's place. The team in red came close to equalizing the mark several times, with Sionko and Baros often inches away to giving a second goal to their team but it was not to be.
Indeed, with his defense slowly wilting under Czech pressure, Scolari proceeded to make some changes in order to strengthen his midfield. Fernando Meira replaced Moutinho, Almeida replaced Gomes, and Quaresma replaced a very disappointing Simao. Portugal finally got their insurance goal at the first minute of extra-time. Cristiano Ronaldo beat the Czechs' offside trap after a free-kick and found himself in a one-on-one situation against Petr Cech. Now, the younger Ronaldo would have tried to beat the keeper, but this Ronaldo, with the captain's armband around his sleeve, passed the ball to incoming Quaresma who scored his first goal of the tournament in his first appearance.
My man of the match: Cristiano Ronaldo. The superstar scored the winning goal for his team. Later, he unselfishly dropped a pass to Ricardo Quaresma who only had to push the ball in an empty net.
Honorable mentions:
- Deco. After an average performance in the first game, Portugal's playmaker is slowly finding his groove. His perseverance allowed him to score his team's first goal and his beautiful pass set up Ronaldo's goal.
- Libo Sionko. The Czech midfielder was the most dangerous player of his team. He scored their only goal, and gave a lot of trouble to the Portuguese defense.
- Petr Cech. Despite giving away three goals, the goalkeeper was the best member of his team's defense which had completely abandoned him.
| 47 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by Anonymous