Portugal 2-4 Germany
A Euro 2020 clash of champions in Munich to enthrall and entertain – and my word it did.
Perhaps we should not have been surprised. Indeed, the last six matches between Portugal and Germany have now produced 23 goals!
Inspired by the genius – and continual record breaker – that is Cristiano Ronaldo – holders Portugal led early on in Munich before two own goals in four minutes put the Germans in the ascendancy and they never looked back.
Euro 2020 highlights galore in the most entertaining game of the tournament so far.
Highlights of the game
Portugal boss Fernando Santos stuck with the starting XI that beat Hungary 3-0 in their opening game, while Germany head coach Joachim Low also named the same side that began in the 1-0 defeat by France.
Fresh from a spirited display against the world champions which showed they are still lacking in key areas compared to their class of 2014, Germany knew they needed to find some inspiration to get a foothold in the tournament and could not contemplate a second defeat in a week.
Whether it was stretching it too far to say Low’s legacy is on the line is unknown but the World Cup-wining coach certainly knew the stakes were high.
That may explain their dynamic start as Rui Patricio was called onto make two smart saves and also saw Robin Gosens have a goal disallowed after a handball was spotted earlier in the build-up.
Then, a quarter of an hour in, you know who scored with a devastating counter-attack.
Ronaldo started the move by heading clear from a German corner and then finished the move, tapping home after Bernardo Silva found Diogo Jota who played the ball across to the rampaging skipper.
It was Ronaldo’s 107th international goal, just two short now of equalling Ali Daei’s all-time record.
Had Ruben Dias found the net instead of heading wide from six yards out seven minutes later, following another sumptuous Silva pass, the Sbotop Euro 2020 betting odds in favour of a Germany win would have slipped well adrift.
But you can never write off the Germans and from that moment on it was hard not to feel sympathy for Ronaldo as his defenders went AWOL – Pepe particularly culpable and looking every inch 38 years-old.
It took two quick own goals to initially turn the tide as Gosens volleyed a cross back into the danger area and Kai Harvertz and Dias both went for the ball which appeared to take the final touch off the centre back.
When Raphael Guerriero then put the ball in his own net following a Joshua Kimmich cutback, Germany had a confidence and a momentum they would not relinquish.
But for Patricio, Serge Gnabry would have extended their lead on the stroke of half-time but it was only a matter of time as the Germans took advantage of a combination of fine build-ups and more woeful defending.
Five minutes after the restart and Gosens was the provider again, rolling a ball into the six yard box for Havertz to side-foot home the third.
Then Kimmich was given time and space to flight a pinpoint cross to Gosens who headed home the fourth and Germany were in dreamland.
To Ronaldo’s immense credit, he managed to hook a ball heading out of play into the path of Jota for the European Champions to reduce the arrears.
Had substitute Renato Sanches’s superb piledriver gone in instead of cannoning back off the post, we could have been in for a frantic finish.
It was not to be – but we’d been already been treated to delights aplenty.
The ‘group of death’ is on a knife edge.
Key Statistics
Ronaldo’s opener was his 19th goal at the World Cup and European Championships combined; no European player has ever scored more across the two competitions (level with Miroslav Klose).
Jota has been involved in 10 goals in his last nine starts for Portugal (seven goals, three assists).
Portugal are the first European nation ever to concede two own goals in a single match at a major tournament (World Cup or Euros).
Portugal’s last victory against Germany was in the group stages of Euro 2000 – a 3-0 win, courtesy of a Sergio Conceicao hat-trick.
This was the fifth encounter between Portugal and Germany at the European Championship. Only Italy and Spain have faced each other more in the tournament (six matches).
Portugal have lost just three of their last 31 matches in all competitions, winning 19 and drawing nine, scoring 69 goals and conceding 23.
Aged 22 years and eight days, Havertz is Germany’s youngest ever goalscorer in a European Championship game, and youngest at any major tournament since Thomas Müller against Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup (20 years, 300 days).
What’s next?
It’s back to Hungary now for Portugal as the European Champions take on the World Champions in the Ferenc Puskas Stadium on Wednesday night (June 23).
At the same time Germany host Hungary, again at the Allianz Arena.
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