Portugal defeated Czech Republic 2-1, with Francisco Conceicao scoring the winning goal in stoppage time on a memorable evening for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Francisco Conceicao delivered a stunning blow in injury time to secure a triumphant start to Portugal’s Euro 2024 campaign. Cristiano Ronaldo’s side fought back to claim all three points against a resilient Czech Republic team that had seemed destined for a draw.

The first half ended goalless, with Portugal dominating the game from the very beginning. However, it was the underdogs who took the lead in spectacular fashion through Lukas Provod’s powerful strike from outside the penalty area. The goal was undoubtedly one of the best contenders for the tournament’s goal of the tournament.

Portugal quickly responded, equalizing just seven minutes later thanks to an own-goal by Robin Hranac, assisted by Jindrich Stanek, who had a less than stellar performance in goal.

As the match approached its conclusion, Diogo Jota thought he had secured victory for Portugal with an 88th-minute goal, only for it to be disallowed for offside.

However, with just four minutes remaining, Portugal’s manager, Roberto Martinez, made three substitutions that proved to be game-changing. Two of those substitutes, Pedro Neto and Francisco Conceicao, combined brilliantly to snatch the winner. Neto set up Conceicao, who made a dream start to his competitive international career by smashing the ball into the back of the net.

This crucial victory sees Portugal join the ranks of other tournament favorites, including England, France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands, who have all won their opening matches. However, Portugal currently sits behind Turkey in Group F, their next opponents.