FCBARCELONA.CAT

07.06.2008 19:39

Deco starts with a win (2-0)

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Portugal made their Euro 2008 debut with a deserved 2-0 win against Turkey. Deco played almost the whole game and contributed plenty to a great tactical performance.

Portugal have shown why they are one of the favourites to become champions of Europe after beating Turkey 2-0. Luis Felipe Scolari’s side looked solid in defence and dangerous in attack, with such talented players as Simao, Ronaldo and Deco.

The first half was fast and furious. Portugal, driven by Deco and ex Barça man Simao were the better side although Turkey also had their moments. Portugal came closest with a Cristiano Ronaldo free kick onto the post, a couple of runs by Simao led to shots going wide, and Pepe had a goal ruled out for offside. Turkey’s best chances came from ambitious long shots from Nihat as they showed more concern for defending Demirel’s goal.

Great Portuguese second half

Portugal grew stronger after the break. Nuno Gomes hit the post in the 51st minute; in the 55th, Cristiano Ronaldo brought out the best in Demirel and finally in the 61st, Pepe made it 1-0. The Real Madrid player completed a one-two with Nuno Gomes to slot the ball home, which gave the Portuguese the chance to relax and play things on the counter. That was how they made it 2-0 in injury time thanks to a combination involving Cristiano Ronaldo, Moutinho and Raul Meireles, the scorer. This puts Portugal top of the group, and their next match is on Wednesday against the other side that won their opening match, the Czech Republic.

Poor opening game

That win came against the co-host Switzerland, 1-0 at St. Jacob Park in Basle. The Czech goal was scored by Vaclav Sverkos in the 71st minute after he collected a long clearance from his own area. But it was no thriller to start the tournament, with far too many tactics and far too little flair.