martin rogers
Fox Sports Insider
and so is Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal Happy to move forward, we won 3-0 turkey On Saturday it was a campaign that is fast becoming a grand one, destined for big things.
Ronaldo, a 39-year-old icon of the game, didn’t score in Dortmund but was influential and proactive, as Portugal took full advantage of an unfortunate own goal to secure a place in the last 16.
Roberto Martinez’s side are also winners of Group F, although they still have one match to play – against Georgia in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday.
bernardo silva Portugal scored the first goal midway through the first half as Portugal, the only team with the best record in qualifying, dominated from the start.
Nuno Mendes’ cross from the left bounced into Silva’s path, where the Manchester City man easily beat goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.
The second round effectively sealed the fight and was a comedy of errors. Samet Akaydin Failed to notice Bayindir’s position before he backpassed towards goal – the goalkeeper’s attempt to run back and keep the ball out of the net was in vain, and Portugal were advancing.
Before the match, Martinez insisted that despite his long history as a consistent goalscorer, Ronaldo’s greatest value to this team is that he draws the attention of defenders away from him, opening up space for his teammates.
This became evident after the 55th minute when he passed the ball to Bruno Fernandes who scored the third goal and gave a clear signal of intentions for the 2016 champions.
The message is that Portugal means business, Ronaldo isn’t going anywhere, and this is a team that feels it can beat anyone.
(Connected: Portugal coach Martinez defends use of Ronaldo, says he ‘deserves’ to stay with national team,
Turkey is still in second place in the group. It can secure that spot by drawing or doing better against Czechia in Hamburg, with the Portugal-Georgia game (3 p.m. ET on Fox) also on the line.
For Portugal, its place in the bracket could be considered a friendly match. If all goes according to plan, it won’t face another group winner, possibly Spain or Germany, until the semifinal stage.
Then there was chaos when three fans came on the pitch at different times in the second half and tried to take selfies with Ronaldo. Ronaldo took the first selfie but seemed unhappy with the other two.
Another phone-waving supporter wearing a Portugal jersey approached Ronaldo moments after the final whistle and security had to restrain another man who attempted to confront one of the world’s most famous sports stars as he left the field with his team-mates.
Ronaldo could be more upset about his failure to score against a Turkish team that is sometimes its own worst enemy.
In the 28th minute, while Turkey were trailing 1–0 following Bernardo Silva’s goal seven minutes earlier, Turkey centre back Samet Akdin delivered a back-pass which went straight past the goalkeeper and into the net.
Portugal qualified from Group F with one match to spare after a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic.
,Watch all the best moments from Portugal’s win over Türkiye,
Associated Press reports.
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