The young Turkish team had to bow to the class of Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe, players close to 40 years old.
Cristiano Ronaldo made a strong impression helping Portugal win 3-0 against Turkey in the second match of Group F, EURO 2024 on the night of June 22.
The famous maxim in football “Form is temporary, class is forever” is really true in the case of CR7 and Pepe. No one understands this better than the Turkish players, the team lost 0-3 to Portugal on the night of June 22 (Hanoi time) in the second match of the EURO 2024 group stage.
With an average age of 25.8, Türkiye is the second youngest team in the tournament, just behind the Czech Republic. After a 3-1 victory over Georgia in the first round of Group F, coach Vincenzo Montella’s team is very confident and even wants to play a duel with Portugal. However, their youthfulness was overcome by the experience and bravery of Ronaldo and Pepe.
On social networks, fans said that all three of Portugal’s goals against Türkiye had Ronaldo’s mark, more or less. Not to mention Bruno Fernandes’ last goal, when Ronaldo directly assisted, CR7 really had an impact on the team’s two previous scoring situations.
In the first goal, Nuno Mendes coordinated with Rafael Leao on the left wing before launching a cross into the penalty area. Ronaldo would have had a chance to cushion the ball from close range if Orkun Kokcu had not stuck out his foot and changed the trajectory of the pass. Kokcu’s intervention caused Ronaldo to lose momentum and fall. However, CR7’s fall caused the Turkish defense to pause, allowing Bernardo Silva to catch the ball unmarked and easily shoot the ball past goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.
In the 28th minute, Ronaldo made his mark again. Joao Cancelo stole the ball from midfield and Ronaldo intended to run to escape the markings of the two central defenders. However, Ronaldo suddenly stopped as soon as Cancelo made the pass. The camera immediately captured the moment Ronaldo struggled because his teammates did not understand, but midfielder Samet Akaydin made a mistake, causing Bayindir to be deceived and burn their own goal.
Ronaldo and Cancelo quickly changed their status, smiled brightly and hugged each other in celebration. With CR7, he indirectly contributed to Portugal’s goal in the first half for the second time.
Meanwhile, Pepe, who set the record for the oldest player to ever play at EURO when he started in Portugal’s 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic, continued to show his class against young Turkish players. Ky.
Pepe’s biggest highlight came in the 20th minute, when the score was 0-0. Pepe made an accurate tackle in a dispute with Kokcu, showing the 41-year-old midfielder’s determination and excellent ability to read the situation. If he doesn’t hit the ball, Pepe can receive a red card directly. However, his bravery and experience help him not make mistakes.
This phase created the foundation for Portugal to score two consecutive goals just a few minutes later. Pepe continued to demonstrate his flexibility and strength by easily neutralizing Türkiye’s long balls and continuously winning duels.
The enthusiastic applause from Portuguese fans when Pepe left the field in the 83rd minute was a worthy reward. Porto’s defender contributed greatly to helping Portugal keep a clean sheet. Many major newspapers rated Pepe higher than Ruben Dias.
8 years ago, at EURO 2016, Pepe and Ronaldo carried Portugal to the championship. In 2024, when Portugal has a more quality team of players, these two stars are still the fulcrum for the team’s victory.
The Turkish players were full of confidence when entering the game, but in the end they suffered a humiliating defeat. Goal described them as “frozen” before Portugal’s bravery and experience, conveyed through Ronaldo and Pepe.
