Ronaldo delivers big performance to match the hype

GENEVA: Cristiano Ronaldo lived up to expectations he could be the player to dominate Euro 2008 with his match-winning performance in Portugal's 3-1 victory over Czech Republic on Wednesday.

He scored the all-important second goal, a superbly crisp, low strike that sped under keeper Petr Cech just past the hour, having been involved in the move that led to Deco's opening goal in the first half.

It was Ronaldo's 21st goal for his country and 46th this season for club and country.

He rounded off an impressive performance, in which he brought several saves from Cech including a full-length dive to a tremendous drive from outside the area, with a breakaway in injury time before feeding Ricardo Quaresma for the third. "I'm really happy but we have to take it game by game and just think about our next game with Switzerland," Ronaldo told reporters.

Portugal plays the Swiss in Basel on Sunday with first place already assured in the group after Turkey beat Switzerland in a later game on Wednesday 2-1.

It was the second win in the tournament for Portugal after it beat Turkey 2-0 and the second time Ronaldo has been handed the captain's armband when Nuno Gomes was substituted in the second half.

Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari explained it was to give Ronaldo extra motivation to lift his team to secure victory and asked him to come off the wings where the Czechs had his measure.

Speaking about Portugal's second-half improvement after changing ends 1-1, Scolari said: "I wanted Cristiano and Simao (Sabrosa) to work hard not only on the wings but also in midfield. They did exactly what I wanted them to do."

Ronaldo would not let himself be drawn into discussing his club future which was a major issue before the tournament started with Real Madrid keen to sign the winger from Manchester United.

He said there was strong unity in the Portuguese camp and outside issues had not upset their preparations.

"We're here to go a long way," the 23-year-old said.

Ronaldo has now beaten the great Czech goalkeeper twice in less than a month having headed past him during the Champions League final in Moscow.

"Yes, that's the second time I've beaten him. He's a great goalkeeper, one of the best," Ronaldo said.

Ronaldo also had a penalty saved by Cech in the shootout won by United but said he was number two in the penalty taking order for Portugal, behind Simao but ahead of Deco.

Dangerous weapon

Czech coach Karel Brueckner did not have just Ronaldo to blame after his team lost 3-1 to a Portugal team blessed with all-around talent in an entertaining match on Wednesday.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a very dangerous weapon and could be the best player in this tournament but Portugal are not just about Ronaldo," Brueckner told a news conference. "They have many brilliant individuals."

The Czech coach singled out Deco, who paraded his best form on the Geneva pitch with inspired midfield play.

"Deco is also a strong player, no doubt about that," Brueckner said. "He was possibly the best player in this match. He is the brain of the Portuguese team, he takes responsibility.

"With such players on the other side of the pitch it's never going to be easy."

At least the Czechs, Brueckner said, improved on their opening performance, a 1-0 win over Switzerland in which their only clear chance was the winning goal.

"We proved that we could play good football, not only in defense but also in attack," he said. "We created more chances, especially in the first half, than we had in our first match."

Brueckner's men gave Portugal a hard time in the first half but appeared to run out of steam when their opponents stepped up a few gears after the break.

"In the second half we were a bit tired and our opponents put up a great performance," the Czech coach said. "Their transition from defense to attack was perfect. The ball just went up and down all the time.

"I wouldn't say we had a fitness problem. Our problem was Portugal, who found extra strength after going 2-1 up and put us under pressure."

Agencies

(China Daily 06/13/2008 page24)