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Winger Francisco Conceicao netted a dramatic stoppage-time winner as Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal opened their Euro 2024 campaign with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in Leipzig on Tuesday (June 18).
After a goalless first half where A Selecao dominated proceedings without scoring, Lucas Provod opened the scoring just past the hour mark with a sumptuous curler. Jolted into a response, Roberto Martinez's side restored parity through an own goal from the unfortunate Robin Hranac seven minutes later.
A Diogo Jota goal was ruled out for offside late on, but the Euro 2016 champions had the last laugh, with Conceicao sealing all three points for his side with an opportunistic finish following a spill from the Czech custodian Jindrich Stanek.
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It was the 21-year-old's debut international outing - and he made it count by scoring in less than two minutes after coming on. In the process, he became the first Portugal substitute to score in the Euro finals since Eder's extra time winner against France in the 2016 final.
Earlier, Ronaldo created Euro history when he took the field, becoming the first player to appear in six European Championships since his debut 20 years ago. However, despite multiple chances, he couldn't mark the occasion with a goal.
A Selecao are now perfect in 11 competitive games - including a perfect 10-0 Euro 2024 qualifying campaign - since their 1-0 quarterfinal upset to Morocco in the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal.
Cristiano Ronaldo puts on playmaking masterclass as Portugal open Euro 2024 campaign with win
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo is a goalscorer par excellence - netting nearly 900 times for club and country throughout his illustrious career. However, playmaking has often been an underrated feature of his game.
On Tuesday against the Czech Republic, Ronaldo didn't find the back of the net - which would have made him the first player to score in six different editions and also the oldest scorer in Euro finals. Nevertheless, he hardly had a forgettable outing in front of goal.
He did squander a few scoring opportunities but more than made up for that with a playmaking masterclass. As per Stat Muse, Ronaldo had five shots - three on target - created two chances, including one big chance and made an impressive 22/22 passes.
Ronaldo and Co. next take on Turkey in Dortmund on Saturday (June 22) in their second Euro 2024 game. The A Selecao captain will hope to get into the scoresheet and create more Euro history.
