Portugal left it very late, but Francisco Conceição’s injury-time winner earned them a crucial win in their opening game at Euro 2024. Check out the best facts from the game with our Portugal vs Czech Republic stats page.
On his very first competitive appearance for his national side, Francisco Conceição was Portugal’s hero tonight. He scored a 92nd-minute winner to help his side come from behind to beat a stubborn Czech Republic 2-1.
Despite registering 74% possession and completing almost four times as many passes than their opponents, it looked for all the world that Portugal would be held to a frustrating draw, after Lukás Provod’s long-range strike had put Czech Repubic ahead just after the hour mark and teammate Robin Hranác had turned into his own net.
But Conceição, who touched the ball just twice after coming off the bench in the 89th minute, popped up in the box when his side needed him most to side foot into an empty net after Czech goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek had slipped.
It was a stop-start night for Roberto Martínez’s side who, despite boasting players who can create centrally like Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and Bernardo Silva persisting with crossing the ball relentlessly into the box against a strong and physical Czech Republic defence.
They attempted 24 open-play crosses in the game and completed just three off them. Up against the likes of Tomás Soucek (6-foot-4), Hranác (6”2) and Ladislav Krejcí (6”3) defending the box with their lives, was that particularly surprising?
Portugal’s attacking thirds map from the first half showed just how focused they were on getting the ball down the flanks.
They couldn’t really carve out any clear chances though, and so this was the first game of Euro 2024 to see no goals scored in the first half.
On a day littered with spectacular strikes, Lukás Provod decided he’d get in on the act in the second half.
A rare Czech Republic foray into Portugal’s half resulted in a hopeful cross into the box. Pepe headed clear but only as far as Coufal, who laid the ball back to Provod to run onto the pass and strike it first time. It bent perfectly away from the despairing Diogo Costa and into the far corner.
Ironically, for all their unsuccessful crossing, Portugal’s first goal actually came via that method – although only because Czech Republic scored it for them. Stanek could only palm a downwards header from Nuno Mendes into the goalmouth and the ball rebounded in off an unfortunate Hranác.
Portugal kept pressing – and kept crossing – and eventually found their winner. Neto, another one of Martínez’s late substitutions jinked his way down the byline and crossed (on the floor this time). Czech Republic made a mess of clearing their lines and Conceição pounced to win the game.
For a team littered with so many attacking stars it was a strange performance form Portugal, who looked dangerous whenever trying to attack centrally, but showed a strange reluctance to do so. They face the lively Turkey next, and will need to be better to maintain their stranglehold on Group F.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Portugal vs Czech Republic stats from their Euro 2024 Group F clash at the Leipzig Stadium in Germany.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own post-match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Portugal vs Czech Republic: Post-Match Facts
- Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to feature in as many as six different editions of the UEFA European Championship finals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024).
- Portugal have won their opening game at consecutive UEFA European Championship tournaments for the first time (this being their ninth appearance), having previously won 3-0 against Hungary at EURO 2020.
- Czechia have only won one of their last seven games in the group stage at the UEFA European Championship finals (D2 L4), with their only victory in this run coming against Scotland on MD1 at EURO 2020.
- Portugal have only gone on to lose one of the last five games in which they’ve conceded the opening goal at the UEFA European Championship finals (0-1 v Belgium at EURO 2020), coming back to win twice and drawing on two occasions.
- Lukás Provod’s opener for Czechia was the 11th goal scored from outside the box at EURO 2024, which is now just one fewer than in the whole of the group stage at EURO 2020 (12).
- Francisco Conceição scored just 111 seconds after coming off the bench, becoming the first Portugal player to score as a substitute at the UEFA European Championship finals since Éder in the 2016 final (v France).
- Portugal completed 368 passes in the first half of this match, their most in a single half of football at the European Championship finals on record (since 1980).
- Pepe (41y 113d) and Cristiano Ronaldo (39y 134d), who both started for Portugal against Czechia, became the two oldest outfield players to ever appear at the UEFA European Championship finals.
- Portugal midfielder Vitinha made 20 line-breaking passes against Czechia, with only Germany’s Toni Kroos (30 v Scotland) making more across the first round of group stage games at EURO 2024.
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