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Portugal made a thrilling comeback to beat Czech Republic in their first Euro 2024 opener
Cristiano Ronaldo played in his sixth European Championship, extending his record as the player with the most tournament appearances as Portugal came from behind to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in Leipzig.
Conceicao rescues Portugal
The Al Nassr star was able to celebrate the occasion thanks to a 92nd-minute winner from Francisco Conceicao, which turned the game around for Portugal.
Conceicao’s late winner came after Portugal had gone behind to a sensational strike from Lukas Provod before equalising via a Robin Hranac own goal in the 69th minute.
Portugal had the better of the opening proceedings as they threatened the Czech goal at the start of the game, with Ronaldo’s misplaced header the best chance of the first half.
As the teams settled into the game, chances became harder to come by and the sides entered the half-time break level at 0-0.
The second half was more open than the first and Portugal came close to scoring through Ronaldo, who uncharacteristically fluffed his lines after being played through on goal by Bruno Fernandes.
Portugal were punished for their profligacy when the Czech Republic scored through Provod, who hammered home from range to give his side the lead.
Following the setback, Portugal hit back with a wave of attacks, which eventually led to the equaliser when Robin Hranac turned into his own goal following a mix-up with his goalkeeper Jindnich Stanek.
With the game looking like it was headed for a draw, Portugal eventually found the winner through 21-year-old Conceicao, who had only been on the pitch for two minutes.
The Porto striker, whose father Sergio Conceicao, scored a hat-trick against Germany in the 2000 European Championships, turned out to be the match-winner for Portugal, despite only touching the ball twice against the Czech Republic.
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