“I’m not going to lie” - Tomas Soucek shares Czech plan to put Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal ‘under pressure’ in Euro 2024 clash
Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal will start their Euro 2024 campaign against the Czech Republic on Tuesday, June 18 at Leipzig's Red Bull Arena. It will be a memorable game for the Portuguese talisman as the game will mark his record sixth European Championship appearance.
However, the Portuguese frontline is mighty even without the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. They boast an attack comprising Paris Saint-Germain's Goncalo Ramos, Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix, and AC Milan's Rafael Leao. All of them are potential match-winners and will be even more lethal in the presence of Ronaldo.
However, the Czech Republic will try their best to spoil the party for Cristiano Ronaldo's men. In an interview with Ojogo, Czech veteran midfielder Tomas Soucek revealed the team's mindset ahead of the all-important clash against Portugal.
According to the West Ham United midfielder, having the ball is the way to go when dealing with the Portuguese. He explained that the team is trying to focus on their gameplay without thinking much about the opposition.
“I'm not going to lie, we had five days to focus on what we can do. We want to try to get the ball and put pressure on them, put them under pressure and we will have days for the following games. Let's always think about what we normally do and talk about it. We have to focus on ourselves,” explained Soucek.
Soucek was asked whether the Czech strategy is enough to beat Portugal in the opening clash of Euro 2024. The 29-year-old stressed that even underdogs have a chance to beat the favorites in a football game. He further explained the importance of every point in helping his country reach the knockouts.
"We know there are always chances in football. Even when you are the 'underdog', the worst team, there are always chances. We are confident. We are not the biggest 'outsider', we want to be competitive and every point counts. We want to reach the knockout stage and so we will have to start well," commented the West Ham midfielder.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the same number of goals (5) in Euro 2020 as the Czech frontman Patrik Schick but won the Golden Boot as he also had an assist. Schick will once again be the main target for the Czech as he comes with a lot of confidence after Bayer Leverkusen's historic Bundesliga campaign.
Five Euro records that Cristiano Ronaldo holds as prepares to start his Euro 2024 campaign
Statistically, Cristiano Ronaldo has been one of the greatest players to ever play in the European Championships. The Portuguese No. 7 has broken a barrage of records and is on the verge of breaking some more when he faced the Czech Republic in Portugal's first clash in Euro 2024. Here are the top five records that the Portuguese currently holds in the European Championship.
1. Player to feature in the most number of Euros
With his appearance in Euro 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo will become the first footballer in history to feature in six different iterations of the European Championship. His first appearance in the tournament was way back in 2004 when the Euros were held in Portugal.
2. Player with the most matches played in the Euros
Cristiano Ronaldo has played the most number of matches in the European Competition (25) and is gearing up to add more to his tally in Euro 2024. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's first-ever Euro appearance was against Greece.
3. Most goals in the European Championships
Cristiano Ronaldo will be looking to increase his lead in the chart for the most goals scored in Euros even further in this edition. The Portuguese has scored 14 goals in five iterations of the tournament so far. His first goal came against Greece. However, Portugal went on to lose the match 2-1.
4. Most appearances in Euros as captain
Ronaldo has captained his country for a record 16 times in the European Championships. This has made him the player with the highest number of appearances in the tournament's history.
5. Most tournaments with at least one goal scored
The Portuguese marksman has scored a goal in each of the five iterations of the European Championship he has played in and has scored 14 goals in all. He can make it six by scoring a goal in Euro 2024.