Cristiano Ronaldo vs Czech Republic (19/06/2024) • English Commentary • Euro 2024 | HD 1080i

The stadium in Leipzig is full, they are ready for the second group game in Group F, Portugal against Czech Republic. I wonder how many fans in that stadium are there to see one man and one man only. Cristiano Ronaldo starts at his record-breaking sixth European Championships. Let's be right, first of all, you need the genetics. It doesn't matter how hard you work if you haven't got the genetics, it's not going to happen. What he has done, and I think this is the most impressive thing, is he's been able to change the way that he plays to be able to still compete at this level. The fact that he scored 35 goals in Saudi Arabia, people might look at it and go, well, that's only Saudi Arabia. Well, if it was that easy, everyone would be scoring 35 goals in Saudi Arabia. We're talking about the Saudi League, 52 games, 50 goals. Even Benzema is struggling in Saudi. I don't think we give him credit enough. Like I say, Messi is a pure talent, but this guy is a machine. This guy is a machine. The interesting thing about it, and again, listen to what Rio said, when he joined Manchester United, he thought he was already the best, and he had to learn that he wasn't the best when he joined, and then become the best. Everything that you see now, running across that pitch, at 39 years old, is the product of belief, again, genetics, and just hard work. David, can I come back to what you just said, when you say the amazing things, he adapts himself. I remember when he was playing for United, and Ferguson was always blaming him because he said he'd never show up in a big game. Yeah, you scored against Bolton or whatever, but I want you to score against Chelsea, Arsenal, or whatever. He said, Ferguson, tell him, you need to stop all those ribbling. This is for YouTube. You're not here. You're not a kid. You have a killer. That's why he started playing centre-forward. That's when he scored like 42 goals in one season, because Ferguson said, you need to be a killer. You're not here for the circus, and that's when he started changing his style of play. Yeah, I mean, he had an incredible career, hasn't he? Cristiano Ronaldo, can he lead Portugal to another European Championship? They face Czech Republic in Leipzig, and Manas is there for us now. Doing the zoo. We see people from Portugal, Morocco, Asia as well. It's just crazy. I think I have fever. Oh, it's the Cristiano Ronaldo fever right now. The Cristiano Ronaldo fever. Europe 40 years apart. Czechoslovakia as was. Both nations reached a knockout stage three years ago, and each has good reason to anticipate progress this time as well. Portugal perfect in qualifying. Czechia perfect since the turn of the year. And here they go. Gathered by Virginia. Leal away from Horace Ronaldo. A little thump of the floor from Cristiano Ronaldo, expects himself to do better here. He's unopposed. Just gets the timing all a little bit wrong. A warning for Czechia. Have to get tighter to him than that. They will pay the price if they don't. Ronaldo has scored in Geneva and Warsaw the last two times these nations met, and suggest that he got a little nudge. Three or four hours out from kickoff, which quickly passed, but the rain is back now. Ronaldo. He's skipped away from Sofal. Now a cross goal, poked out for Sochek. Yeah, you do feel Czechia to get anything tonight. They're going to have to defend really well. It's really good positioning from Ron Krejci. It's that they haven't defended as well as they might need to in this tournament. Ronaldo, last time round, going out in the last 16, represented their worst ever performance. Here's Cristiano Ronaldo, teasing Sofal, inviting support from Leal, Pepe, Fernandes, lovely ball run, Stanek, Vitinha, and Stanek's behind that too. Outstanding all round. The vision, the run from Ronaldo, and the save from Stanek. Look at the movement. I just wonder, had that ball found the net, whether or not that would have stood. It was very tight, but brilliant movement from Ronaldo. The period around the English Premier League, it was at Everton for a year or two without getting a game. That's beautiful, and it is poked necessarily behind by Vranac from in front of Vitinha. Yeah, look, they're at full stretch now, aren't they? Again, brilliant skill from Ronaldo. Vitinha with a license to get forward. It's last ditch, and very, very... Just a little wrong. Interesting. Cristiano Ronaldo applauds Leal. There's a bit of skill. Nearly stopped Vitinha in behind. Last ditch, excellent defending. From that cross, Ronaldo applauded Leal, but he had a right go at Diogo Dalot, the right back, for not being at the far post. Cancelo, again by Stanek. Flexed at half-time here, and onto the approach. Ronaldo stopped by Duterte. Diaz, he got high again. Work it well down there, Ruben Diaz. It is pushing the ball in, but it's really well defended. One thing that hasn't altered with the passing of the years for Cristiano Ronaldo is his extraordinary hang time. He gets high and stays there. Right. He's conceded a free kick in absolutely prime position for a strike. They've got options, but I guess there might only be one taker here. In driving rain, Cristiano Ronaldo. Stanek, Klangholm. Yeah, well, he hits the target. That's the minimum requirement, isn't it? Goalkeeper does well. This is the free kick. Cristiano Ronaldo trying to get that to bend and swerve and dip. Minimum requirement. He's a big burly striker. So foul. To stun Portugal, their superstar. Lucas Provod has come up with something special. Vitinha, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha, Mendes. It's a mess of a goal. Telling touch on the line. Parity. Comes from across, doesn't it? And it's Nuno Mendes at the far post. Stanek, I just wonder, could he have tried to hold on to this? Parries it away and it comes off his own defender. You have to feel for Franak. There's nothing the defender can do. It's highly unfortunate and it's a gift for Portugal. And it is the third home goal of Euro 2024. It's a modern phenomenon, isn't it? For goalkeepers to parry and push and punch and sometimes just grabbing onto the ball. Bruno Fernandes. Ronaldo. Vitinha. Stanek parries. It's a corner. Scoop forward for Bruno Fernandes. Face to face with Franak. Mendes. Crecci goes crashing across in front of Ronaldo. Well, again, it's outstanding defending because if he switches off for just a second, Crecci is in big trouble. Cancelo. Ronaldo. Against the post. Right moment. Xhota would not be. Portugal are moments away from claiming the points. Now is Cristiano Ronaldo offside? That looks tight. He is. He is offside. And the goal does not stand. Czechia supporters have just realised the noise to our left deafening. Four minutes of additional time. Conce Sal. Pedro Neto. We know all about his dribbling ability. Just helps the ball into an area and oh, it's heartbreaking, isn't it? Really, really hard. He's had such a good game. Franak. And he gets it all wrong and pays the price. Francisco Conce Sal. 21 years old. The son of a famous father. His dad, Sergio, scored a hat-trick in the European Championship finals for Portugal against Germany back in the year 2000. And now he has plastered that famous name all over this tournament again. Portugal stared down the barrel. They stared out Czechia and they won it eventually. Ronaldo in embrace with a boy barely half his age who won it right at the death.