Strong second-half display drives Portugal towards quarter-finals

Portugal 3-1 Czech Republic

Luiz Felipe Scolari made no changes to the side which beat Turkey on Saturday, with the only notable alteration to the team’s setup the switching of Cristiano Ronaldo and Simao on the flanks, seeing the Manchester United man move to the left and Simao take up a position on the right wing.

Portugal were ahead after just seven minutes, and the move was started and finished by Deco. The Brazilian-born midfielder received possession on the halfway line and drifted past a Czech player before feeding the ball into Ronaldo. Deco had continued his run into the box and, after Ronaldo’s one-two with Nuno Gomes saw the no.7 force Petr Cech into a save, Deco was on-hand to scramble the ball over the line from close-range.

Although Portugal continued to look confident after the goal, with Deco pulling the strings from all over the pitch, they were given a couple of stern warnings as to the dangers posed by the Czechs. A quickly taken free-kick caught the Portugal defence off guard, leading to Jankulovski shooting wide, before Sionko skipped past Pepe before forcing a corner with his attempted centre.


Portugal 3-1 Czech Republic - match reaction


It was from the resulting set-piece that Portugal were pegged back. Plasil provided a good delivery from the corner and Sionko managed to beat Petit to the ball with a thunderous diving header, giving Ricardo no chance and putting the Czechs back on level terms.

Deco again looked to be Portugal’s main source of inspiration following the setback, with the former Porto man brilliantly cutting in from left and firing narrowly wide of the top right corner. Ronaldo, who had been well marshalled by the Czech defence, then tested Cech with a trio of long-range efforts before the break, but the goalkeeper was equal to each one.

There was a good tempo about the game throughout, although Portugal’s slightly more measured and considered style was in slight contrast to the Czechs, who began to look increasingly dangerous ahead of the break, causing problems with a quicker and more aggressive approach.

Tireless Gomes

The opening stages of the second period were evenly contested, but Portugal began to create chances as the hour mark approached. Nuno Gomes, who was a tireless runner without seeing much of the ball in the first forty-five minutes, did well to fashion a shooting position but failed to beat Cech, before Deco found Simao, who also drilled his effort straight at the Chelsea ‘keeper.

Portugal’s lead was re-established in the 63rd minute, with Ronaldo getting his first goal of the tournament. Joao Moutinho’s bright thinking saw him switch play to the right to Deco, who cleverly picked out the Manchester United man’s run on the edge of the area, and Ronaldo drilled an early low shot past Cech and into the bottom left corner.

A couple of Czech crosses caused some nervousness in the Portugal defence, while Karel Bruckner also threw on giant forward Jan Koller for the final twenty minutes. Perhaps as a response to both propositions, Scolari introduced Fernando Meira in place of Joao Moutinho in midfield, although Sionko again found himself unmarked between Bosingwa and Pepe to meet Vlcek’s cross with a firm header, which Ricardo managed to tip over the bar.

Hugo Almeida and Ricardo Quaresma were also given runouts for what was an uncomfortable final ten minutes for Portugal, in place of Nuno Gomes and Simao respectively, and the Porto man would get the clinching goal. A quickly-taken free-kick, again from Deco, set Ronaldo and Quaresma clear, with Ronaldo unselfishly squaring the ball across Cech for his former Sporting team-mate to slide into an empty net, putting the seal on a strong Portugal second-half performance.

PortuGOAL man of the match: Deco
The player who is set to leave Barcelona is certainly doing his chances of a lucrative move to another of Europe’s giants no harm at all. One goal, two assists and a simply sublime all-round performance.

Portugal:
Ricardo, Bosingwa, Pepe, Carvalho, Ferreira, Petit, Joao Moutinho (Fernando Meira 74), Ronaldo, Deco, Simao (Quaresma 80), Nuno Gomes (Hugo Almeida 79)
Yellow Card: Bosingwa

Czech Republic:
Cech, Grygera, Ujfalusi, Rozehnal, Jankulovski, Galasek (Koller 73), Sionko, Matejovsky (Vlcek 68), Polak, Plasil (Jarolim 85), Baros
Yellow Card: Polak

Goals:
[1-0] Deco, 8
[1-1] Sionko, 17
[2-1] Ronaldo, 63
[3-1] Quaresma 90