FOX Soccer NOW: Are Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal true Euro 2024 contenders?

Contents

Euro 2024 schedule, fixtures: Dates, times, TV channels, bracket, how to watch France-Netherlands, Friday Euro and Copa América picks by Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica UEFA Euro 2024 odds, picks: France, Germany new favorites; England falls Euro 2024 daily recap: France can’t score without injured Mbappé, Poland first to be eliminated Euro 2024 group scenarios: How each team advances to the Round of 16 Euro 2024 power rankings: Spain the top dog; Austria on the rise Portugal coach Martinez defends usage of Ronaldo, says he ‘deserves’ to be with national team Spain’s Lamine Yamal, 16: I’ll quit school if we reach Euro 2024 final Euro 2024: Energized Austria puts Robert Lewandowski’s Poland at risk of elimination

Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal became the third team to clinch a spot in the Round of 16 at Euro 2024 on Saturday with a 3-0 win over Turkey.

Bernardo Silva scored Portugal’s first goal in the 21st minute, with Turkey then gifting Portugal another score on an own goal. Then, in the second half, Bruno Fernandes gave Portugal a 3-0 lead on a close-up shot. Portugal had possession for the majority of the game, out-passing Turkey 503-352. That said, both teams got off 12 shots, with five coming on goal.

Is Portugal proving to be a true contender to win the Euros?

Melissa Ortiz was impressed by the high level of Portugal’s play, which she expressed on the latest edition of “FOX Soccer NOW.”

“I think what we saw today out of this Portuguese side was a faster, more dynamic [team],” Ortiz said. “The first game, they were slow out of their build-up, especially down the middle, but also even building up from the back line. Today, we saw a different type of Portugal team. It was almost a wake-up call.

“Their late goal in their first game was a wake-up call coming into this and a dominant performance over Türkiye.”

Portugal overcame a 1-0 second-half deficit to beat Czechia, 2-1, in their first match of the tournament.

On Portugal’s third goal on Saturday, Ronaldo passed up a clean look at the net, setting up Fernandes for an easier shot attempt. Jimmy Conrad thinks that decision by Ronaldo showed a different side to the superstar forward that bodes well for Portugal’s chances of winning the tournament.

“For all the heat that Ronaldo gets, there is a tag of him being very selfish. In that moment, he could’ve been, and I don’t think anybody would’ve blamed him if he would have been, but he elected to play the easy one over to a teammate. And I feel like that kind of sets the tone for the culture of the team,” Conrad said. “If Ronaldo is looking out for everybody, and not just himself, that’s a good sign for me that Portugal could make a run in this.”

Plus, a young man barged his way onto the field to get a selfie with Ronaldo, who was delighted to take part in the photo.

Portugal’s final match in Group F play is on June 26 against Georgia (3 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience