"Turkey and Georgia beating that Portugal with Ronaldo" - Fans react as Selecao secure last-gasp victory over Czechia in Euro 2024 fixture
Fans expressed their opinions as Portugal bagged a last-minute victory against Czechia in their Euro 2024 opening game. The match ended in a 2-1 scoreline on Tuesday (June 18) at Red Bull Arena in Leipzig.
After a goalless first half, midfielder Lukáš Provod opened the scoring for Czechia with an assist from defender Vladimír Coufal in the 62nd minute. The Selecao got their equalizer as the opponents slipped up, with defender Robin Hranac scoring an own goal in the 69th minute. Francisco Conceicao scored the winning goal for the Selecao in the last minutes of the match (90+2') after replacing Vitinha in the 90th minute.
Fans took to social media to share their views on Roberto Martínez's squad's performance against Czechia. While a few fans criticized captain Cristiano Ronaldo's gameplay in the match, others said Czechia was the more deserving side. Many are not too hopeful of Portugal's chances in Euro 2024 despite the win. Here are some reactions on X:
One fan wrote:
"Turkey and Georgia beating that Portugal with Ronaldo."
Another added:
"Lucky win for Portugal, why are they always looking for Ronaldo? They won't beat any top team."
"What a lucky win, Czech Republic's players will be kicking themselves 2 massive mistakes that cost them the game or else Portugal did nothing special to deserve this win.," chimed in another fan.
One account posted:
"Ronaldo getting carried as usual 😭"
Another said:
"Get that fraud ronaldo out."
One user wrote:
"Ronaldo ghosting once again nothing new."
While another wrote:
"Robbed czechia."
The Selecao are pitted against Turkey next in Euro 2024 on Saturday (June 22) at Signal Iduna Park.
Portugal head coach opens up on Selecao's performance in their Euro 2024 opener
Following the Selecao's 2-1 win against Czechia in their Euro 2024 opener, head coach Roberto Martínez shared his opinion about his squad's performance and told reporters (via FotMob):
"There are some points to evaluate, not from a tactical or physical point of view – we had 18 shots and 13 corners. We won because we showed values of resilience, will and belief, from a dressing room that wants to give everything for Portugal. For a coach, it's the best."
The Selecao have won the UEFA European Championship in 2016 after they ended up as runners-up in 2004. They also claimed the UEFA Nations League in 2019.