Portugal go into Euro 2020 in the unusual position of being one of the teams to beat. So often Spain’s Iberian cousins are the less-heralded of the peninsula, but this year they begin with a better chance of going the distance. The squad that won Euro 2016 has matured and improved, and remain uniquely built for tournament football.
11 – After his second goal against Hungary, Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored as many goals at the European Championship as Hungary (11). Hunger. #POR #EURO2020 #HUNPOR pic.twitter.com/vZiwNojJLr
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) June 15, 2021
Not that they’ve been given an easy hand. They’ll have to break out of the group of death, Group F, where they’re paired with Hungary, Germany and the outright favourites, France. First up was Hungary, in the intimidatingly-full Puskas Arena in Budapest. Backed by a huge crowd of locals, the Hungarians became an intimidating prospect, but Portugal passed their first test; they secured an impressive and hard-fought 3-0 win, laying down a challenge to Germany and France, who play later this evening, to respond to.
Portugal started slow, having to battle for every ball with their hosts, before finally taking the lead in the 84th minute when Raphael Guerreiro scored after being assisted by Rafa Silva. They doubled their lead three minutes later, and it was ex-Real Madrid man Cristiano Ronaldo who converted a spot-kick with consummate ease. He made it 3-0 in additional time, combining superbly with Silva before bagging his eleventh goal in the European Championships and securing Portugal’s victory.
