Vincenzo Montella’s youthful but inexperienced Turkey squad was easily handled by Portugal, who were every bit a team hoping to win their second European Championship after winning the first one in 2016.
Portugal easily defeated Turkey 3-0 on Saturday to secure first place in Group F and go to the Euro 2024 final 16.
Portugal easily defeated Turkey in Dortmund in front of large crowds of fervent Turkish supporters thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes in the second half, a hilarious own goal by Samet Akaydin in the 21st minute, and a superb finish by Bernardo Silva in the 21st.
Portugal appeared to be playing for a second European Championship, having won the first one in 2016. Their all-star squad had no trouble handling Vincenzo Montella’s youthful but inexperienced Turkey squad.
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Martinez stated on Friday that Cristiano Ronaldo, who is 39 years old, is in good enough shape to play every four days, so the player will have to go through at least two more attempts to become the oldest goalscorer at a European Championship.
After scuttling past Turkey’s offside trap in the 56th minute, Ronaldo selflessly set up Fernandes for an easy score. He also found time to take a selfie with a young fan who had barged onto the pitch halfway through the second half.
With a perfect six-point lead, Martinez’s team will play one of the top four third-place teams in the following round. They won’t be under any pressure to win their last group match against Georgia.
However, Turkey cannot rest on their laurels; they must draw with the Czech Republic on Wednesday in order to secure the second position.
Many hours before the 6:00 p.m. (1600 GMT) kickoff, Turkey’s fervent supporters descended upon the Westfalenstadion in large numbers, with lengthy tailbacks on the highways leading to the stadium.
As thousands of supporters creeped towards their destination, other fans led shouts from the top of cars.
- Intruders with pitch
When Portugal jogged out for their pre-match warm-up, the largely home fans poured up a loud chorus of boos and jeers.
Once play began, though, there was an obvious difference in skill between the two teams, and Silva of Manchester City gave Portugal the lead with a confident header onto the low cross that had been diverted by Nuno Mendes.
Soon after, Akaydin’s careless backpass gave Portugal a two-goal advantage. Zeki Celik and keeper Altay Bayindir attempted in vain to stop the ball from crossing the line, but it ended up as an own goal.
The partisan crowd was subdued by those two goals and the Portuguese players’ dominance, and Fernandes’ finish of a feed from his old Manchester United teammate Ronaldo clinched the victory.
The Portuguese supporters then cranked up the music to commemorate their nation’s advancement to the round of 16.
Midway during the second half, when the game was being delayed to allow Nelson Semedo to replace Joao Cancelo for Portugal, a pint-sized fan ran onto the pitch, eliciting shouts from both sets of supporters.
The young one was cool enough to pose for a picture with an amused Ronaldo and then go on a crazy run his hero would have been proud of, shoving security personnel in the process before being wheeled off the pitch.
Ronaldo was not amused when five much larger supporters then attempted to take pictures in imitation, only to be met with jeers and turned down for a picture before irate stewards arrived.