The final day of game week one started with a full capacity crowd at the magnificent Puskas Arena in Budapest which has a capacity of 67,000. Portugal were massive favourites heading into the match, but there was quite a lot of pressure on them to get all three points as they still have matches against Germany and France.
Portugal operated in a 4-2-3-1 formation with two defensive minded midfielders in William Carvalho and Danilo Pereira. On the other hand, Hungary employed a back 3 system with Willi Orban at the heart of their defence.
Portugal started the match on the front foot with Liverpool’s Diogo jota having a few good chances during the early stages of the game. Portugal had a vast majority of the ball which was expected at the start of the game. The Hungarian players were fuelled with emotion thanks to the capacity crowd and were more than happy to indulge in physical battles with the more technically gifted Portuguese players.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who was appearing in his 5th European Championship had the best chance of the first half but missed the goal from close range. It was a guilt edged opportunity which one would expect a player of Ronaldo’s class to put away.
The second half started on similar terms but Hungary started frustrating Portugal by not offering them much space in the final third. Roland Sallai was very impressive for Hungary, but he had to make way for Szabolcs Schon who hit the back of the net in 80th minute only for it to be ruled out as he was offside.
Minutes later Raphael Guerreiro gave Portugal the lead by virtue of a few deflections both in the cross and in the shot. Now the flood gates were open and Portugal received a penalty after Rafa was fouled in the area.
Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and scored his record 10th goal at the finals before scoring a brace and making it 3-0 in extra time. Hungary played really well and the final score is a harsh representation of their performance. However, Portugal deserved to win the match and are rightfully at the top of their group.
