Belgium battle Romania in a vital Euro 2024 group stage match in Cologne. The Red Devils were left stunned 1-0 by Slovakia, with Romelu Lukaku frustrated after two goals were ruled out by VAR.
Nicolae Stanciu, Razvan Marin and Denis Dragus all scored on a historic day for Romania in their opener against Ukraine, securing a first victory in 24 years at the Euros and moving to the brink of qualification for the last 16.
“It’s a difficult game, totally different from the first. However, we have courage, belief in ourselves, and we know what we can do,” Romania midfielder Ianis Hagi said.
While Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco was largely pleased with his side’s first performance, with one exception: “The only thing that we didn’t do well (against Slovakia) was missing chances. We had plenty. It’s part of the game.”
Follow all the latest updates ahead of Belgium vs Romania below, following the conclusion of Turkey vs Portugal in Group F
Euro 2024: Belgium v Romania
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Belgium take on Romania in Cologne, live on ITV 1
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18’ SAVE! Nita denies Lukebakio with fine leaping stop (BEL 1-0 ROU)
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2’ GOAL! Tielemans strikes inside two minutes as Belgium make perfect start (BEL 1-0 ROU)
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Belgium stunned by Slovakia in Euro 2024 opener after Lukaku goals ruled out by VAR
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Romania thrash Ukraine to win first Euros match in 24 years
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Belgium XI: Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen; Doku, Tielemans, Onana, Theate; De Bruyne, Lukaku, Lukebakio
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Romania XI: Nita; Ratiu, Dragusin, Burca, Bancu; M. Marin; Man, R. Marin, Stanciu, Mihaila; Dragus
Belgium 1 – 0 Romania
Second half! Belgium 1-0 Romania
21:02 , Mike Jones
Romania get the ball rolling in Cologne for the second half. Is there a way for them to get back into this match?
HT Belgium 1-0 Romania
21:00 , Mike Jones
As things stand, all three teams in Group E have three points. Should Belgium win this game by this scoreline they’ll move up to third with everything on the line for the final group games next week.
HT Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:56 , Mike Jones
Belgium’s goal after 73 seconds is their earliest ever in a match at a major international tournament.
HT Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:52 , Mike Jones
Half-time! Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:48 , Mike Jones
45 mins: Belgium were under pressure coming into this match and they put any nerves to bed inside the opening two minutes. Youri Tielemans sent them into the lead and from there, despite some decent attacks from Romania, they’ve had control of the game.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:43 , Mike Jones
42 mins: Lukebakio lays the ball off to De Bruyne who storms into the box and almost finishes off a slick move from Belgium. De Bruyne falls away as he takes the shot which sofly rolls into the hands of Florin Nita.
The his best effort of the night.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:41 , Mike Jones
39 mins: Ratiu curls a decent ball into the box which curls away from Wout Faes and almost drops for Denis Dragus who tussles with the defender.
Koen Casteels comes off his line and smothers it as Dragus hits the deck looking for a penalty that doesn’t come.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:36 , Mike Jones
36 mins: Lukebakio dances into the box from the right and takes shot which is deflected wide of the target. The resultand corner is swung into the middle by De Bruyne but Denis Dragus jumps highest and heads the ball clear.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:33 , Mike Jones
33 mins: Andrei Ratiu is having a torrid time up against Jeremy Doku who is too quick, too skillful and too determined to get the better of the defender.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:29 , Mike Jones
30 mins: De Bruyne’s delivery is shockingly bad for a player of his quality but it doesn’t matter anyway as Wout Faes is penalised for a bit of argy bargy.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:28 , Mike Jones
27 mins: The longer Romania can keep the deficit at one the better off they’ll be. That much is obvious but they’ve shown a bit of quality in the final third already and Belgium will become more nervous as the game goes on.
They are desperately trying to add a second here to secure a cushion for themselves. Kevin De Bruyne is brought down and has the chance to deliver a free kick into the box.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:25 , Mike Jones
24 mins: Valentin Mihaila gets into the action with a great run down the right side. He scoots across the edge of the box after cutting inside and gets off a shot.
Jan Vertonghen drops to get the block in but the ball comes back to Mihaila. He tries to manoeuvre into more space but slips and Belgium get the ball away.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:21 , Mike Jones
21 mins: At the other end of the pitch Romania win a free kick that gets driven over to the far post. Radu Dragusin is the target but Arthur Theate beats him in the air and nods the ball behind for a corner.
The next set piece gets dealt with by the Belgians.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:19 , Mike Jones
18 mins: Save!
Belgium sweep forward on the break with Kevin De Bruyne in possession. Romelu Lukaku and Jeremy Doku fly into the box and draw away defenders as De Bruyne slots a pass over to Dodi Lukebakio.
He checks to the left then blazes a curling shot at goal only for Florin Nita to leap to his right and palm the ball wide!
Solid goalkeeping to keep Romania in the contest.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:18 , Mike Jones
17 mins: Dodi Lukebakio flicks the ball around Marius Marin and picks out Romelu Lukaku. Marin stands his ground a collides with Lukebakio as he tries to dart away meaning Belgium are awarded a free kick.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:13 , Mike Jones
14 mins: Timothy Castagne gets clear of Nicusor Bancu before lifting a cross into the box. Goalkeeper Florin Nita fumbles the ball and Jeremy Doku collects it.
He’s got nowhere to go and decides to retreat in order to tempt the Romanians out of position.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:12 , Mike Jones
11 mins: Belgium are almost in again. Jeremy Doku weaves and twists towards the ball from the left wing behind checking inside. He rolls the ball off to Youri Tielemans who goes for goal again but sees his effort blocked this time.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:08 , Mike Jones
8 mins: Denis Dragus was Romania’s brightest spark in their opening match against Ukraine and has looked energetic through this opening minutes as well.
The Romanians certainly don’t look afraid of their opponents and are happy to take on this challenge.
Belgium 1-0 Romania
20:06 , Mike Jones
5 mins: Romania respond well. They take the ball to the Belgium final third and take on the goalkeeper. Koen Casteels leaps across and turns the ball wide for a corner.
It’s all happening out there.
GOAL! Belgium 1-0 Romania (Tielemans, 2’)⚽️
20:03 , Mike Jones
2 mins: Wow!
Lukaku is fed the ball from the right and brings it to the box. He slots a pass over to Jeremy Doku who holds it up before sliding a threaded pass back to the forward.
Lukaku’s back is to goal so he offloads it to the arriving Youri Tielemans who strikes a first-time effort into the far bottom corner.
Kick off! Belgium 0-0 Romania
20:01 , Mike Jones
Belgium get the ball rolling in Cologne. The only certain outcome from this match is the Romania will qualify for the knockout rounds if they win.
Belgium will be hoping for a better outing tonight. Kevin De Bruyne goes on an early run but can’t find Romelu Lukaku with a short pass into the box.
Belgium vs Romania
19:55 , Mike Jones
Here come the players.
Kevin De Bruyne has the armband for Belgium and knows that defeat tonight will put his team on the verge of an early exit. The Red Devils were well off it in their opener against Slovakia and are the only team yet to score in the tournament.
Can they get the job done tonight?
Kick off is up next…
Belgium vs Romania
19:50 , Mike Jones
Both sides have won five of their 12 encounters with the other two matches ending in draws. Although they haven’t met since 2012.
Which way will this one go tonight?
Belgium vs Romania
19:45 , Mike Jones
Edward Iordanescu could lead Romania to victory in their opening two games of a major tournament for just the second time in their history, after his father Anghel achieved the same at the 1998 World Cup.
Belgium vs Romania
19:40 , Mike Jones
Romania have exited the group stage in four of their five European Championship appearances.
Belgium vs Romania
19:35 , Mike Jones
Romelu Lukaku has six goals in 11 games at the European Championships – no other Belgium player has more than two goals at the Euro finals.
Belgium vs Romania
19:30 , Mike Jones
Belgium haven’t lost the opening two group games of a major tournament since the inaugural World Cup in 1930.
Belgium vs Romania
19:25 , Mike Jones
The Red Devils’ defeat against Slovakia was their first under head coach Domenico Tedesco.
The Cristiano Ronaldo circus provokes a serious question over Portugal’s Euro 2024 hopes
19:20 , Mike Jones
As one man took centre stage in a circus, a properly serious team got on with the business of convincingly winning football matches around him. Is this to be the story of Portugal at Euro 2024?
Perhaps it really is the sign of a new team that, as a goal stood at Cristiano Ronaldo’s mercy, he shockingly passed for another player to score. It wasn’t the only moment where he threw back the years. There was also the moment when he beat a defender with a step-over to cross, something he hasn’t actually done in maybe a decade.
For all that such contributions were largely at the fringes of a game, which was already won by the Selecao’s more influential modern players, there is no doubting the main event of Roberto Martinez’s side.
The Ronaldo circus provokes a serious question over Portugal’s Euro 2024 hopes
Belgium vs Romania
19:15 , Mike Jones
Next up, Belgium take on Romania following their 1-0 loss to Slovakia. The Red Devils suffered a shock loss in their Group E opener and now have to perform against Romania to keep themselves in contention to reach the next round.
Defeat to Romania in Cologne would not eliminate Belgium, but it would be a huge blow to their chances of progressing to the last 16.
For their part, Romania can secure their spot in the knockouts having hammered Ukraine in their opener. It was their first win at the Euros for 24 years. Can they follow up with another one?
Group F standings
19:10 , Chris Wilson
This how Group F looks after the second round of games. Portugal are through, with the second place up for grabs in a pivotal encounter between Turkey and the Czech Republic.
1 – (Q) Portugal – 6 points, GD +4
2 – Turkey – 3 points, GD -1
3 – Czech Republic – 1 point, GD -1
4 – Georgia – 1 point, GD -2
Next matches
19:05 , Chris Wilson
Portugal will face Georgia in their final game of the group stages, looking to make it three wins from three. The two sides meet in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday, 26 June, with kick-off at 8pm BST.
Turkey face the Czech Republic in a battle to take second place in the group, knowing that a point will likely be enough for them to go through in second place. Those two play on the same day, at the same time, in Hamburg.
FULL-TIME! Turkey 0-3 Portugal
19:00 , Chris Wilson
Turkey v Portugal player ratings as Bernardo Silva and Cristiano Ronaldo thrive in confident display
18:57 , Mike Jones
Portugal secured qualification for the round of 16 at Euro 2024 with a confident and dominant display against a frazzled and frustrated Turkey.
The Turks should have taken the lead early on following a fine run down the wing from Zeki Celik. A cross curled over to the back post where Kerem Akturkoglu edged ahead of Joao Cancelo only to fluff his shot. It was a great chance missed and Roberto Martinez’s team then took command.
Turkey v Portugal player ratings as Bernardo Silva thrives in confident display
Belgium vs Romania
18:55 , Mike Jones
Still to come is the final match of the day which sees Belgium, who need to win, taking on Romania. Here’s how the teams line-up:
Belgium XI: Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen; Doku, Tielemans, Onana, Theate; De Bruyne, Lukaku, Lukebakio
Romania XI: Nita; Ratiu, Dragusin, Burca, Bancu; M. Marin; Man, R. Marin, Stanciu, Mihaila; Dragus
FULL-TIME! Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:54 , Chris Wilson
The final whistle blows in Dortmund, and Portugal have qualified for the next round and finished top of Group F!
A hectic start made way to a well-worked Portugal goal, and once that own goal went in it was all over.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:53 , Chris Wilson
95 mins
Ruben Neves opts to shoot from distance, and we know he can, but that one’s never troubling Bayindir.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:52 , Chris Wilson
94 mins
Celik wins a corner in the last couple of minutes, and we have another break for a pitch invader.
It’s made an embarrassment of the stadium security, and unsurprisingly Ronaldo looks quite irritated.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:51 , Chris Wilson
92 mins
Bernardo Silva thinks he’s earned a penalty, but he went down too easily.
We have a brief break for a third pitch invader.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:49 , Chris Wilson
90 mins
Fernandes plays a ball in to Neto, and there’s space to run into, but his dribbling is poor and he loses it to Demiral.
Portugal counter again, with Joao Neves – who just came on for Vitinha – squaring it to Ronaldo, who lays it off to Silva. The City man takes the shot rather than playing in Fernandes, and the attack ends.
There’ll be five minutes of added time in Dortmund.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:47 , Chris Wilson
88 mins
Almost brilliant from Portugal as Ronaldo lays it off to Fernandes on the edge of the box. He looks like he’s going to sweep it to the left wing but instead he slips a ball through to the onrushing Silva, who just can’t quite get it under control as Bayindir races off his line.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:45 , Chris Wilson
86 mins
Portugal are taking it pretty easy now. This game was over as a contest as soon as the third went in, and it’s been pedestrian ever since really.
Guler plays an inviting disguised pass into the box, but it’s cleared.
Portugal counter, but Ronaldo can’t get the required accuracy on the pass back to Neto.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:43 , Chris Wilson
84 mins
Bayindir rises high to collect Mendes’ cross, and Turkey’s counterattack ends with Guler chipping a ball towards Yazıcı that runs out of play.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:41 , Chris Wilson
81 mins
Pepe does make way now, with many Turkey fans partaking in a standing ovation. He’s replaced by Benfica’s Antonio Silva.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:39 , Chris Wilson
79 mins
Pepe clears the first corner back out for another corner, and then he clears the second corner away before heading away the follow-up cross.
He’s the oldest player to ever play at a European Championship, and he’s had a great game today.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:37 , Chris Wilson
77 mins
Effective Turkey attacks have been few and far between in the second half, and another breaks down as Yılmaz loses the ball, but they do win a corner in the end.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:33 , Chris Wilson
75 mins
Turkey make another change as an injured Akaydin is replaced by Merih Demiral.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:31 , Chris Wilson
73 mins
Unsurprisingly, Ronaldo is looking like the most animated player on the pitch at the moment. You can tell the fact that he hasn’t scored yet is weighing on his mind.
He almost has a couple of chances as Portugal counter, but Pedro Neto can’t find him with a through ball or with the cross on the follow-up.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:28 , Chris Wilson
70 mins
The biggest cheer of the day from the Turkey fans as Arda Guler replaces Akgün.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:27 , Chris Wilson
68 mins
The commentary team have started talking about the oldest brewery in the world, which is apparently in Dortmund, so that gives you an idea as to the pace of the game at the moment.
Nelson Semedo has replaced Joao Cancelo.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:24 , Chris Wilson
65 mins
Yildiz tries an effort from distance, but it flies over.
Silva gets away down the right and clips the cross to Ronaldo, but he just gets ahead of it as he jumps and can’t direct it goalwards.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:21 , Chris Wilson
62 mins
Portugal look more likely to extend their lead than concede at the moment. You wonder whether it’s worth it for Vincenzo Montella to even try getting anything from this now.
He has made another two changes though, as Ayhan and Aktürkoğlu come off for Yuksek and Yildiz.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:17 , Chris Wilson
58 mins
Sloppy from Turkey, with Celik playing Ronaldo onside and then slipping.
It’s looking very comfortable for Portugal now.
GOAL! Turkey 0-3 Portugal
18:15 , Chris Wilson
56 mins
GOAL! And that should be that.
Another gift for Portugal, and it’s so simple. Dias has the ball in his own half, close to halfway. He spots Ronaldo making the run, and he’s curved it perfectly to stay onside. He’s one-v-one and squares it to Fernandes, who taps into an empty net.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-2 Portugal
18:13 , Chris Wilson
55 mins
Vitinha has had a poor few minutes, but he gets lucky as the foul is given when he’d lost the ball near the touchline.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-2 Portugal
18:11 , Chris Wilson
54 mins
Vitinha tries playing though Fernandes for the ball across goal, but again his pass is overhit.
Turkey attack and Yazici has his first effort since coming on, but it’s straight at Costa.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-2 Portugal
18:10 , Chris Wilson
51 mins
Cancelo fires a ball across goal and it goes all the way across to Neto, but he can’t find Fernandes with his cutback.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-2 Portugal
18:06 , Chris Wilson
47 mins
Pepe concedes a corner early on, but Dias heads away the in-swinging delivery. Portugal are inches away from being clean through on goal, but Vitinha’s pass to Fernandes is overhit.
KICK-OFF! Turkey 0-2 Portugal
18:04 , Chris Wilson
KICK-OFF! Turkey get the second half started in Dortmund.
Both sides have made changes at half-time. For Turkey, Kokcu comes off for Yazici, while Pedro Neto and Joao Neves replaces Rafa Leao and Palhinha for Portugal.
HALF-TIME! Turkey 0-2 Portugal
18:02 , Chris Wilson
The two sides are trudging back out of the tunnel, and we’re almost underway in the second half.
HALF-TIME! Turkey 0-2 Portugal
17:58 , Chris Wilson
A pivotal second half on the horizon for both teams then, as they know that today’s winner will qualify in first place in the group.
Turkey have a mountain to climb in the second half, though even if they lose, they will fancy themselves to get the points required to send themselves through when they face the Czech Republic.
HALF-TIME! Turkey 0-2 Portugal
17:55 , Chris Wilson
That was Silva’s first goal at a major tournament for Portugal! It came at a great time for the Selecao.
HALF-TIME! Turkey 0-2 Portugal
17:47 , Chris Wilson
HALF-TIME! The whistle blows and boos ring around the Westfalenstadion.
Portugal are 45 minutes from winning Group F.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-2 Portugal
17:46 , Chris Wilson
45 mins
Turkey fans and players alike are feeling a little hard done by, and there are plenty of boos and whistles ringing around the BVB Stadion after Palhinha stops a counter. The Fulham man also gets booked.
Turkey can’t make anything of the free-kick though, and Portugal will look to see out the half.
We’ll have one minute of added time.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-2 Portugal
17:44 , Chris Wilson
43 mins
Now Akaydin goes into the book for a heavy challenge on Leao, which seems harsh. Celik also gets booked for arguing with the referee.
Bernardo Silva finds Pepe at the back post with the delivery, but he had strayed offside.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-2 Portugal
17:42 , Chris Wilson
41 mins
Calhanoglu dispossesses Vitinha and Turkey counter, but the shot from distance is easily covered by Costa.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-2 Portugal
17:40 , Chris Wilson
39 mins
Rafael Leao gets a yellow card for diving on the edge of the box, and he’ll miss the next game.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-2 Portugal
17:38 , Jack Rathborn
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-2 Portugal
17:38 , Chris Wilson
36 mins
silva is having a great time out there at the moment. His latest involvement sees him carry it towards goal and sweep it across to Ronaldo, who fires over the bar from just outside the box.
Moments later, some brilliant defending from Pepe prevents Aktürkoğlu’s cross reaching its intended target.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-2 Portugal
17:36 , Chris Wilson
34 mins
Turkey haven’t given up hope yet, but their attacks are lacking a little bit of quality in the last phase.
Portugal attack and Silva slips it through to the onrushing Fernandes, who skews a shot well wide from distance.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-2 Portugal
17:33 , Chris Wilson
31 mins
Turkey try and get one back almost immediately but Kokcu’s shot is kept out by Costa at the near post.
GOAL! Turkey 0-2 Portugal
17:32 , Chris Wilson
28 mins
GOAL! Oh my word, what has happened there!?!
A disaster of an own goal for Turkey. Portugal attack and it’s ruined at the last after Cancelo’s through ball to Ronaldo is cut out. It runs to Akaydin, and he slips a pass back to Bayindir. But he hasn’t looked to place his pass properly, and it goes straight past Bayindir before rolling into the back of the net!
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-1 Portugal
17:29 , Chris Wilson
27 mins
Roberto Martinez is urging his side to keep possession a little better. He looks a little frustrated despite the lead.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-1 Portugal
17:26 , Chris Wilson
24 mins
Bardakci is the first player in the book after he goes into a sliding challenge with his studs up.
GOAL! Turkey 0-1 Portugal
17:24 , Chris Wilson
22 mins
GOAL! Right after almost conceding a great chance, Portugal lead!
They attack with Leao down the left, and he slides a ball through to the overlapping Nuno Mendes. Mendes cuts it back looking for Ronaldo in the box, but it gets a deflection off Kokcu and runs straight into the path of Bernardo Silva, who rifles it in at the near post!
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-0 Portugal
17:22 , Chris Wilson
20 mins
Almost a brilliant chance for Turkey as they play out from the back and the ball runs into the path of Kokcu. He almost gets to it to poke it into the path of Yilmaz, but Pepe slides in at the last to prevent the chance!
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-0 Portugal
17:20 , Chris Wilson
18 mins
Portugal are starting to impose themselves on this game, with Turkey not seeing a lot of the ball (and losing it quickly when they do).
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-0 Portugal
17:16 , Chris Wilson
15 mins
Ronaldo skips past Bardakci and clips in a cross, but again Leao can’t make anything of the header.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-0 Portugal
17:14 , Chris Wilson
13 mins
Portugal work the ball down the right, with Cancelo exchanging passes with Vitinha, who eventually hooks in the cross. Leao tries to head it back across goal, but it’s cleared.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-0 Portugal
17:11 , Chris Wilson
10 mins
Portugal keep the ball well but it ends with Rafa Leao’s cross being cut out. Turkey counter but Ayhan’s attempted through ball runs out of play.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-0 Portugal
17:09 , Chris Wilson
8 mins
A couple of half-chances end with an angled ball in towards Ronaldo at the back post, but he can only direct his header over.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-0 Portugal
17:08 , Chris Wilson
6 mins
CLOSE!
Turkey switch the play brilliantly and it comes to Çelik on the right of the box. He swings the ball across goal early and Aktürkoğlu is diving in, but he can’t get clean contact on it from around four yards out, and somehow it stays out!
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-0 Portugal
17:06 , Chris Wilson
5 mins
Good play from Turkey as Ayhan plays it across to Akgun in the box, but he can’t get the shot away.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-0 Portugal
17:05 , Chris Wilson
3 mins
Vitinha wins a free-kick in his own half after Kokcu was too eager with the press.
Portugal attack well and Fernandes lines up a shot from distance, but it’s blocked.
Euro 2024: Turkey 0-0 Portugal
17:03 , Chris Wilson
1 min
Instant boos whenever Portugal get on the ball.
Portugal have the first meaningful attack as Bernardo Silva clips a hopeful ball across to Ronaldo. He manages to get to it to hit the volley cleanly, but it’s straight at Bayindir.
KICK-OFF! Turkey 0-0 Portugal
17:01 , Chris Wilson
KICK-OFF!
Portugal get us underway in Dortmund! Let’s hope it’s even half as exciting as Turkey’s first match.
Euro 2024: Turkey v Portugal
16:58 , Chris Wilson
The atmosphere at the Turkey v Georgia game was said to be like that of a Turkey home game, and it looks like it’ll be the same today after hearing that rendition of the national anthem.
Dortmund’s Yellow Wall is a red one once again, and we’re moments from kick-off at the Westfalenstadion.
Euro 2024: Turkey v Portugal
16:55 , Chris Wilson
The two teams are emerging from the tunnel, and the national anthems will be underway shortly.
Euro 2024: Turkey v Portugal
16:50 , Chris Wilson
10 minutes away from kick-off in Dortmund.
Both sides are vying for control of Group F, with a win for either side taking them three points ahead of second place.
Euro 2024: Turkey v Portugal
16:45 , Chris Wilson
Head-to-head
16:40 , Chris Wilson
Portugal ans Turkey have met a total of nine times, with Turkey winning just two and Portugal winning the other seven.
Remarkably, three of their previous meetings have come in European Championship matches.
Portugal won 1-0 at the group stage phase at Euro ‘96, and then won 2-0 at the quarter-finals of Euro 2000.
The next game between the two sides came at Euro 2008, when Pepe and Raul Meireles scored in a 2-0 group-stage win.
Turkey last beat Portugal in a friendly in 2012, when a Pepe own goal contributed to a 3-1 win.
Brawls, biblical rain and wonder goals: How Turkey vs Georgia turned Euro 2024 upside down
16:35 , Chris Wilson
Here’s the match report from Turkey’s opening game.
You’d be forgiven for having earmarked Turkey vs Georgia as the most low-key fixture of the Euro 2024 group stage. After all, the combined ranking of the teams was the most modest at the tournament so far, and Georgia entered Group F with no European Championship experience to their name. This game, though? It turned into something far beyond a football match.
Perhaps that should have been evident in the hours before kick-off. Biblical rain and severe weather warnings led German authorities to encourage fans without tickets to stay inside, and to watch the match at home if possible. The elements were deemed a threat to the safety of supporters, before their safety was even threatened by fan violence inside the BVB Stadium in Dortmund.
But when that violence began, as water spilt through the roof of the arena and fans spilt from their seats to attack one another, questions arose. Would the game go ahead, and if it were to, would it even resemble a football match?
To say the tension could be cut with a knife would be to give unnecessary credit to knives. You could have lacerated the tension with a balloon.
It felt as though everything could come crashing down at any moment, courtesy of the slightest move or even thought. It felt as if a foul on the pitch could incite a riot, such was the air of hostility, yet thankfully the violence in the stands did seem to have subsided by kick-off.
Brawls, biblical rain and wonder goals: Turkey vs Georgia turns Euro 2024 upside down
Portugal player ratings vs Czechia: Cristiano Ronaldo left frustrated after clinch comeback victory
16:30 , Chris Wilson
Portugal football had been talked about as among the favourites at Euro 2024, but they had to come from behind against Czechia to secure a hard-fought first win in Group F.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s side had dominated in the first half without really putting Czechia on the back foot, but Lukas Provod put his team ahead just after the hour mark completely against the run of play with a powerful strike.
It was only due to a fortunate own goal, which went in off Robin Hranac that Portugal managed to secure an equaliser. But after going level, it was Francisco Conceicao who scored the winner moments after coming on from the bench.
Here are Portugal’s player ratings from the win over the Czechs.
Portugal player ratings vs Czechia after Cristiano Ronaldo left frustrated
Record-breaking Cristiano Ronaldo upstaged as Portugal find the formula for Euro 2024 glory
16:25 , Mike Jones
Here’s a reminder of how Portugal’s first game went.
Cristiano Ronaldo spans the generations. He in effect replaced Sergio Conceicao in the Portugal squad two decades ago. Twenty years on, as Ronaldo set his latest record, Sergio’s son Francisco Conceicao proved Portugal’s rescuer, upstaging even the old master, providing the sort of dramatic late winner that has long been the 39-year-old’s trademark.
Roberto Martinez, unusually timid initially, had gambled after seeing a Diogo Jota goal disallowed and made a triple change on 90 minutes.
On, along with Nelson Semedo, came Pedro Neto and Conceicao. The two wingers had barely entered the game when they decided it. Neto’s cross was blocked but not cleared by the luckless Robin Hranac and fell for Conceicao to drive in. If nothing else, it was proof of Portugal’s immense depth of talent.
Record-breaking Ronaldo upstaged as Portugal find the formula for Euro 2024 glory
Turkey v Portugal TV channel and how to watch
16:22 , Chris Wilson
The match will kick off at 5pm BST on Saturday June 22, 2024, at the BVB Stadion Dortmund.
It will be shown live on ITV and ITVX, with coverage starting from 4:15pm BST. You can find a full list of which channel is showing each match here.
Portugal face familiar Cristiano Ronaldo questions which will define their Euro 2024 journey
16:20 , Chris Wilson
Lothar Matthaus is 63 now. And if that may depress those who remember him in his dominant prime, let alone those who conjure images of him as German football’s wunderkind of the early 1980s, it has an added pertinence. He played in the last European Championship that did not feature Cristiano Ronaldo.
There are other ways of illustrating Ronaldo’s age, of course: Francisco Conceicao, scored of the late winner in the first game of Ronaldo’s sixth such tournament, was one year old when played in his first and is the son of a rival for a berth on the flanks, in Sergio Conceicao. His first goal for his country came in a European Championship. So did Ronaldo’s, but they were separated by two decades.
Longevity can be an achievement in itself. Ronaldo’s feats are measured more in goals but the simple fact that, 20 years on, he is still there is a feat. He has become the great constant of tournament football, up to 11 in a row, with the possibility he may yet make it a dozen in the 2026 World Cup. There is a sense Ronaldo, with his chiselled physique, thinks ageing is for mere mortals.
His next birthday is his 40th and he has scored 50 goals in club football this season; in the Saudi league, admittedly, but factor in his 10 strikes in European Championship qualifying and his appetite remains unsated. If the 2022 World Cup suggested his could be an undignified departure from international football, he has since staged a comeback: a substitute in Qatar has been reinvented as a Portugal starter in Germany.
At some stage, though, Roberto Martinez will face the same dilemma that confronted Fernando Santos: whether Ronaldo retains that status.
Portugal face familiar Ronaldo questions which will define their Euros journey
Euro 2024: Turkey v Portugal
16:19 , Chris Wilson
Attention now turns to the other game in Group F, as leaders Turkey take on Portugal…
Is VAR at Euro 2024? ‘Snicko’, semi-automated offsides and technology explained
16:15 , Chris Wilson
Here’s the lowdown on VAR and the so-called ‘Snicko’ at Euro 2024, after a potentially controversial decision in today’s early game and a controversially ruled out goal for the Netherlands last night.
VAR will be in operation at Euro 2024 in Germany with semi-automated offside technology in use.
Uefa will also utilise goal-line technology, with connected ball technology in play for the first time at a European Championship, starting with hosts Germany’s opening fixture against Scotland in Munich.
Here’s everything we know about the technology being used at Euro 2024.
Is VAR at Euro 2024? ‘Snicko’ and technology explained
FULL-TIME! Georgia 1-1 Czech Republic
16:10 , Chris Wilson
Georgia’s final group-stage game comes against Portugal on Wednesday, 26 June at 8pm BST in Gelsenkirchen.
The Czech Republic’s game against Turkey takes place at the same time in Hamburg.
FULL-TIME! Georgia 1-1 Czech Republic
16:06 , Chris Wilson
Click here to read the full blog on The Independent’s website