Led by Cristiano Ronaldo and with a team full of talent, Portugal’s national team arrives at the European Championship ready to fight for the title, but before that they must dominate Group F of the tournament, with theoretically inferior opponents, such as Georgia, the Czech Republic and Turkey.
endless CR7
After Portugal’s disappointing campaign in the 2022 World Cup (elimination in the quarter-finals to Morocco), Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer to Saudi football seemed to be the end of the star in elite football, but the arrival of Spanish coach Roberto Martínez gave new enthusiasm for CR7, who, since then, has expanded his records with 206 games and 128 goals scored for the national team.
At 39 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo will play his 11th major tournament for Portugal, with the 2016 European title as his greatest glory.
To repeat the feat, the star can count on a group full of talent, which arrives at the Euros in full maturity, as is the case with Bernardo Silva and Rúben Dias, pillars of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in recent years.
Other names, such as Rui Patrício, Vitinha, João Cancelo, Bruno Fernandes and Gonçalo Ramos, accumulate enough talent and experience to make Portugal one of the big favorites for the continental title.
Even Martínez, who, for six years, commanded the turbulent dressing room of the Belgian national team, seems to have created the perfect environment for everything to work out for the Portuguese.
Even Saturday’s defeat to Croatia in a friendly to prepare for the Euros (2-1) can help the team keep its feet on the ground and not fall into overconfidence.
𝗙𝗢𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜́𝗟𝗜𝗔 towards the #EURO2024 📸🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/XtGMMSjtAN
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) June 9, 2024
Schick, the Czech torpedo
At 28 years old, striker Patrick Schick is experiencing his best moment and is the Czech Republic’s hope to go far in the European Championship.
Schick was a key player in Bayer Leverkusen’s historic season, with the German Championship and German Cup titles, and could become the Czech team’s top scorer at the Euros, a mark he shares with former striker Milan Baros (five goals each one).
But, for the Czech Republic, it will be difficult to match the quarter-final campaign of the last edition of the tournament, given the balance of the bracket and the lack of major references, with the majority of the squad playing in the national championship.
In addition to Schick, captain Tomas Soucek (West Ham), Antonin Barak (Fiorentina) and Vaclav Cerny (Wolfsburg) stand out.
Celebrating Antonín Barák’s winning goal. 🤩🇨🇿 See you at #euro2024 pic.twitter.com/tqyZaJC5KI
— Czech national football team (@ceskarepre_cz) June 10, 2024
Türkiye bets on youth
Despite being just 19 years old, Arda Guler carries the responsibility of being Turkey’s star at the European Championship. The young Real Madrid midfielder took advantage of his few minutes on the field with the Real Madrid team this season to show his credentials with talent and goals, a formula that he could now repeat with his national team.
Of the 26 called up by Italian coach Vincenzo Montella for the Euros, 11 are 25 years old or younger, including Kenan Yidiz (19), from Juventus.
To mix youth with experience, midfielder Hakan Çalhanoglu (30 years old), from Inter Milan, and top scorer Yusuf Yazidi (27), from Lille, were called.
Kvara leads debutant Georgia
Newcomers to the Euros after qualifying in the playoffs, Georgia wants to make its mark in its first participation in the continental tournament.
An army of soldiers will be at the service of the team’s biggest stars. Napoli’s forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will have the mission of making opposing defenses hell with his dribbling and finishing skills, while Valencia’s goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, one of the best in the Spanish Championship, will be the commander at the back.
The success of the selection could bring some tranquility to a country that is going through a tense moment, with massive protests by the population against the approval of a law in Parliament that its opponents compare to the one used in Russia since 2012 to repress any dissenting voice.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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