Czech Republic 1-3 Portugal
Portugal produced a strong display to overcome a much improved Czech Republic side. Having been pulled back to 1-1 after taking the lead, they finished strongly to make it two in two and a place in the quarterfinals…

It was a tightly contested game which the Portugese failed to dominate in midfield due to the Czechs’ strength and work rate, but their creative superiority and sharpness in the final third proved the difference.
First Half
The game looked like it may be fairly open from the beginning and there was not much of a wait for the first goal.
On seven minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo linked up with Nuno Gomes, who played him a delightful return pass that he almost converted but for Petr Cech diving at his feet. Deco was first to the rebound and could not quite scramble his initial effort in, but at the second time of asking he put the Portugese into the lead.
However, good play from the Portugese was only coming in short intervals and they were handing possession back to the Czechs too easily. Marek Jankulovsky went close on 10 minutes, and just after a quarter of an hour they were level.
It was a corner played in by Jaroslav Plasil and Libor Sionko was on hand to head home his third goal in his last three games.
In the 25th minute, Deco almost added his second when he took aim from distance, but his shot whistled over the bar.
Portugal were intent on giving the Czechs their share of chances, though, as Ricardo came out to flap at a corner and was almost made to pay for it, but the ball was cleared.
Milan Baros looked dangerous and justified his selection ahead of Jan Koller, running tirelessly and even showing the ability to turn his man, with his eventual ball across eluding his team-mates.
The last few minutes of the half saw the good and the bad of Cristiano Ronaldo, as he rifled a long-range shot on his left foot that forced Petr Cech into a decent save, before later going down after minimal contact from Tomas Ujfalusi’s flailing arm.
The half ended with a Portugal free-kick, which Ronaldo wound up to hit in trademark fashion, but it was straight at Petr Cech, whose slight fumble went unpunished.
Second Half
The first chance of the second half was for the Czech Republic, with Matejovsky’s smart through ball fed Sionko down the right, who waited to put a ball across goal which none of his team-mates could reach instead of shooting.
Portugal then began to string some passes together, with a good move coming to an end with Nuno Gomes’ shot that ended up flying straight at Cech. Simao soon put another shot straight at the Chelsea goalkeeper as Portugal were beginning to pile on the pressure.
The Czech Republic almost nicked a goal from a Plasil corner, which Ujfalusi headed on across the face of goal, but neither Sionko or Baros could quite reach it to apply the finishing touch.
And it was then, shortly after the hour mark, Portugal took a deserved lead. Deco found himself out on the right and waited patiently before sliding a perfectly placed ball across goal, which Ronaldo drilled home from the edge of the area.
The Czechs introduced Stanislav Vlcek and Jan Koller to try and force the issue, but Portugal’s defence remained fairly strong, though they not without the odd close call.
Plasil’s neat ball into the box was siezed upon by Milan Baros, who headed wide when Sionko was better placed. Sionko came incredibly close moments later, when he rose highest to aim a header at goal which Ricardo did well to tip over.
Sionko was once more the man in the thick of it for the Czechs on the stroke of 90 minutes, when he met a Jan Koller knock-down to fire an effort over the bar.
Portugal added insult to injury at the death when Deco’s through ball caught the goal-chasing Czechs cold at the back. Cristiano Ronaldo ran beyond and unselfishly tapped the ball across goal for Ricardo Quaresma, who had just come on, to tap in a third.