Czech coach, Ivan Hasek, gave special praise to Cristiano Ronaldo after his team was defeated 1-2 by the Portuguese national team. The Portugal vs Czech match in the Euro 2024 Group F schedule took place at Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig, on Tuesday (18/6/2024).
The Czechs, who were under a lot of pressure, were actually able to take the lead through Lukas Provod’s goal (62′). Portugal equalized after Robin Hranac (69′) scored at own goal as a result of misanticipating the rebound from the goalkeeper’s save, Jindrich Stanek. Selecao das Quinas then sealed a dramatic victory via Francisco Conceicao’s goal in the 90+2 minute.
Appearing for the sixth time in the European Cup, Ronaldo will soon turn forty. However, his performance on grass still caught the attention of opposing coach who called him a great man. Not only that, Hasek also said that the Portuguese star was a genius and his game was very threatening.
In addition, Ronaldo became the first man to ever appear in six different editions of the Euros! Ronaldo first made his European Cup debut in 2004, aka 20 years ago, when his country Portugal was the host. The footballer from Madeira also sharpened his record as the player with the most appearances in the Euro 2024 finals. By competing against the Czechs in the Euro 2024 Group F match, Ronaldo has appeared 26 times throughout his participation in the most prestigious event between the countries of the Blue Continent.
“It’s unbelievable how dangerous a player Cristiano Ronaldo is in every game at his age,” said Hasek after the match, quoted on the UEFA website. “He showed his genius again, he knows how to take advantage of opportunities. I take my hat off to him,” added Hasek. “He is one “One of the best players in football history. Truly an extraordinary man,” he stressed.
For Hasek, Portugal deserved to win because they are a team that has many advantages. “Portugal was the better team and deserved to win,” he said. Furthermore, the 60-year-old coach will prepare his best for the next Czech match. “However, at the same time, I want to thank my players for their work. They are hard for the team,” said Hasek. “We have to immediately analyze the match and prepare to face it, the next one,” he explained further.
