“There are more questions about Portugal than solutions” - ESPN pundit warns Cristiano Ronaldo and company after Euro 2024 win over Czech Republic
ESPN pundit Alejandro Moreno has issued a warning to Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal after their Euro 2024 victory over the Czech Republic on Tuesday (June 18). Roberto Martinez's men initially struggled against Czechia, a fixture many expected Portugal to win comfortably.
Lukas Provod's strike saw the Selecao go 1-0 down after an hour of action (62'). However, they managed to turn things around as Robin Hranac's own goal (69') and Francisco Conceicao's stoppage-time winner (90+2') secured all three points. Cristiano Ronaldo played out the fixture and captained his side to a 2-1 victory.
While acknowledging Portugal were the better side on the night, Moreno said they need to improve to win the harder fixtures in the Euro 2024. He said on ESPN:
“Portugal were the better team and they won. They were tested and they found a way to win. Now having said all that, I think there’s a lot more we need to see from Portugal in this tournament if they are going to achieve the things that we think this group is capable of achieving. One thing they need to figure out is, ‘How do we set this team up in a successful, consistent, creative and far more dynamic in attack.’”
He added:
“I’m not quite sure what the role of Joao Cancelo is in this group. Apparently, he has freedom to move anywhere he wants [on the pitch]. It is him who provided the service to Ronaldo in the build-up to that offside goal from the right hand side."
“But I don’t think this is a team that will be successful playing like this in the tournament. When you play against better teams, they will be able to find spaces [to exploit Portugal]. Out of this game, instead of answers, there are more questions about Portugal than solutions," Moreno concluded.
Portugal will face Turkey in their second game of the Euro 2024 on Saturday (June 22).
"He's one of the best players of all time" - Czechia boss in awe of Cristiano Ronaldo's 'genius' display in Euro 2024 clash
Czechia boss Ivan Hasek has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the greatest players to ever grace the game. He lavished praise on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner for his performance in Tuesday's Euro 2024 clash.
The Portuguese superstar had two good chances in the first half, both of which were saved by Czechia goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek. Despite Cristiano Ronaldo failing to contribute to any of Portugal's goals last night, Hasek was in awe of the 39-year-old's performance. Speaking to reporters after the game, he said (as quoted by GOAL):
"We played against one of the best teams in the world and I was very angry about conceding a goal so close to the end. Ronaldo is incredible that, at his age, he continues to play like this. He's a genius. The way he is able to find a way to shoot at goal in a short space of space is incredible. He's one of the best players of all time, without a doubt."