Dortmund: Portugal qualified for the UEFA Euro 2024 knockout stages with a game remaining at the BVB Stadion Dortmund on Saturday thanks to goals from Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes.
In a crucial game in Dortmund that sealed first place in Group F, Portugal, the previous winners, defeated Turkiye 3-0 thanks to goals from Silva, Fernandes, and an own goal from Samet Akaydin.
Portugal did it the hard way against the Czech Republic on Matchday 1, but on Saturday, they quickly took a firm grip on the proceedings. With Vitinha pulling the strings, they set about dictating the tempo and on 21 minutes they were ahead when Nuno Mendes' deflected cut-back was coolly dispatched by Bernardo Silva.
One soon became two, in the most unfortunate manner from a Turkiye point of view. Joao Palhinha's attempted through ball sounded few alarm bells but, with goalkeeper Altay Bayındır advancing unsighted, Samet Akaydin's back pass activated the warning klaxon -– too late, despite a desperate scramble.
Altay Bayındır, one of four Turkiye changes from the Georgia win, picked the ball out of his net 11 minutes into the second half as Cristiano Ronaldo sprung the offside trap and unselfishly squared for Bruno Fernandes. The Crescent-Stars battled on, but the game was up, IANS reported.
So Turkiye followed up their first opening day win at a Euro with a defeat that equaled their heaviest in the competition. A point on Wednesday against the Czech Republic will nonetheless advance to the knockout stages alongside Portugal, the win preserving their 100% record at getting out of groups.