Portugal shone against the tide of Türkiye and Belgium set its course for its Euro Cup

With a remarkable performance, based on a choral game and the hierarchy of its footballers, Portugal went through hell without a single scratch Türkiye in Dortmund, to win 3-0 and seal their place in the round of 16 of the Euro Cup.

The Portuguese team secured first place in group F with six points, three more than its rival, while Georgia and the Czech Republic have one after having tied (1-1) this Saturday.

Bernardo Silva (22), Samet Akaydin (28, against) and Bruno Fernandes (56), after a gift from Cristiano Ronaldo, signed a solid victory for the group led by Roberto Martínez.

With its sought-after roster of footballers, Portugal immediately took possession of the ball. Circulation and movement to try to find a gap against a team that is technically inferior but possessed by the fervor of their own.

The Seleçao did not shake even though the foundations of the BVB Stadion were practically shaking. Ronaldo, target number 1 of his troops, and Pepe, imperial when it was his turn to correct, are 80 years old (39 and 41), too old to be intimidated by the noise.

Logic prevailed when Nuno Mendes doubled Rafael Leao and the ball passed until it reached Bernardo Silva, who was lethal with the first touch against Altay Bayindir. A Manchester City attacker beating a United goalkeeper.

Turkey definitely put a damper on their party with the tournament’s failure: Joao Cancelo and Ronaldo were already arguing because they had not agreed on a clearance and Samet Akaydin gave the ball to Bayindir. Bad pass or misplaced goalkeeper? A disaster that ended 2-0.

Montella had left his two 19-year-old stars, Kenan Yildiz and Arda Guler, on the bench with discomfort after their legendary goal on the first day. Before game time the public was already chanting the name of the new idol in the direction of Montella. “Arda Guler, Arda Guler!” thundered the Borussia Dortmund cathedral.

Then Ronaldo appeared, two decades older than the new Real Madrid phenomenon, to be left alone in front of the goalkeeper and give up Bruno Fernandes. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was just one shot away from breaking a couple of records – the oldest scorer and in six editions of the tournament – but he preferred to share.

However, he was left with another, the highest assist in the history of the tournament with seven decisive passes.

With his entire family in the box, CR7 was in a good mood. A boy jumped onto the field and eluded security agents to take a ‘selfie’. The legend welcomed him like another son and posed with his best smile. Three others, older, emulated him, but they were no longer so well received. And the applause for the first one turned into boos.

Belgium righted course

Belgium regained his memory and defeated Romania in an exciting match Euro Cupplayed today in the city of Cologne, by a fair 2 to 0 with goals from Youri Tielemans and Kevin De Bruyne.

With this result, group E was red hot, since all teams have three points with one date to go.

After a negative debut, Belgium showed an improved version and managed to recover in time to leave group E in an exciting situation. The Belgians deservedly beat Romania, which means that all teams in the area, including Ukraine and Slovakia, are tied on three points. The definition of the group will be electrifying.

Belgium took an early lead on the scoreboard. In just 73 seconds of play, Lukaku pivoted inside the big area after a pass from Doku and Tielemans came from outside to score 1-0. This was the second fastest goal of this Euro Cup, only surpassed by Albania’s goal against Italy on the first date, which was a record in the history of the competition when it was scored in just 23 seconds.

Throughout the first half, those led by German Domenico Tedesco showed their superiority in the game, despite some attempts by Romania, which showed a decline compared to its debut. However, they only managed to get a one-goal lead, as they were poor in finishing and found themselves with an inspired goalkeeper Nita.

In the second half, the development of the game was similar. De Bruyne had a chance, Lukaku had a goal disallowed, and finally, with less than 15 minutes left, Manchester City’s De Bruyne sealed the victory with the second goal.

With this scenario, everything will be defined next Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. (Argentine time), when Slovakia will face Romania and Belgium will face Ukraine. The winners of those matches will advance to the next round.

In the event of a tie, the teams that will qualify directly will be Belgium and Romania due to goal difference, and we will have to wait to find out who will be third.