Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Portugal to an emphatic 3-0 against Hungary in their opening game of Euro 2020 by scoring a brace. The Portuguese struggled for larger parts but managed to score all three goals inside the final 10 minutes of the game. Here are the talking points.
Ronaldo announces his arrival
Cristiano Ronaldo announced his arrival to Euro 2020 in style as he bagged a match-winning double. It wasn’t plain sailing for the Juventus star as he hardly made his impact for the larger parts of the game. However, the 36-year-old showed once again that he can’t be written off at any instance.
Ronaldo was confident, determined and refreshingly very positive both before the game and during the match today. He netted an emphatic penalty before scoring an eye-pleasing goal in injury time, combining with his teammate Rafa Silva.
Defensive lapses proved costly for Hungary
Hungary had the Portuguese under their control before lapses of concentration cost them the game. The first goal of Portugal was a deflected strike, which goalkeeper Gulacsi could do nothing about, but the Hungarian defence could have acted better. There was a drop in confidence after that as Portugal eased past the hosts to score two more goals.
Substitutes Renato Sanches and Rafa Silva provided the sparks
Renato Sanches had a big impact, although he was on the pitch for roughly around 10 minutes. Danilo Pereira and William Carvalho were the starting midfielders, but neither were forward-things. Sanches provided the spark to the midfield, and so did Rafa Silva, who was involved in the last two goals for the Portuguese. The Benfica ace won the penalty and also provided the assist for Ronaldo’s second goal.
Schon nearly shocked Portugal
Szabolcs Schon, who came in as a substitute, though he had his moment when his strike did beat Rui Patricio into the nets. However, much to the disappointment of the home crowd, the 20-year-old was deemed offside. Perhaps, it was the starting point of the derailment of the Hungarians.
Jota could not went past Gulacsi
Diogo Jota was looking dangerous with runs into the Hungary’s box, but he could have done better. The Liverpool forward took more shots at goal than his teammates, but today was not his day. One of his early left-footed strike, was denied by Gulacsi. And Ronaldo, who was acres in space on the left-hand side, was livid for not passing to him.
Fernando Santos had a problem pf plenty!
We all know the quality and depth of the current Portuguese squad; Joao Felix, Ruben Neves, Pedro Goncalves were not seen in action today. Joao Moutinho, Renato Sanches, Rafa Silva, Andre Silva came as substitutes.
Though it seems difficult, Santos must assess his options and field the best working group against France and Germany.
