Ronaldo’s Brilliance Shines as Portugal Secure Victory Against Ireland Ahead of Euro 2024
- Cristiano Ronaldo scored a fine double as a classy Portugal side signed off before Euro 2024 by comfortably beating the Republic of Ireland in Aveiro.
- Witness Cristiano Ronaldo’s dazzling performance as Portugal dominates Ireland before Euro 2024.
After the hosts caught the Republic off guard with a short corner, Joao Felix scored the first goal of the game for a significantly altered Portugal team in the first half.
Then, early in the second half, Ronaldo scored his first goal with an incredible strike into the top corner. An hour later, he doubled his goal total with a sweeping finish.
In their final practice match before facing the Czech Republic on June 18th in their Euro 2024 opener, Roberto Martinez’s team had the ideal send-off.
For the Irish, it was a trying evening as they suffered their second loss under acting manager John O’Shea.
Intense beginnings in Aveiro
The Republic wanted to improve on their first victory under O’Shea, which came last week at Aviva Stadium in a 2-1 friendly triumph against Hungary.
But in Aveiro, it was a far harder ask for O’Shea’s side, with Portugal appearing menacing in the opening exchanges.
On minute nine, Joao Cancelo created a chance from left wing-back, finding Rafael Leao, who cushioned the pass back to Felix before Liam Scales blocked his shot.
Then, Leao slipped in Bruno Fernandes, the captain of Manchester United, and he dribbled past a diving Caoimhin Kelleher before Jake O’Brien blocked his effort from a tight angle.
On minute seventeen, Kelleher was brought into the game following a smart move by Portugal that began and concluded with Fernandes.
He feed Ronaldo, who found Diogo Dalot to run on to. The wing-back chose to pull it back to Felix, whose first-time low shot was deflected by Kelleher’s foot, even though he was in a good position in the box.
Portugal penalises carelessness Ireland’s Republic
Although Kelleher, the custodian for Liverpool, performed admirably when required upon early on, he was unable to stop Portugal’s opening goal on minute eighteen as his teammates gave up.
Felix was unmarked in the box when Cancelo quickly gave the ball to Fernandes, and the Atletico Madrid striker curled a shot into the far corner.
As Portugal pushed for a second, Ronaldo’s signature free kick rattled the far post after deflecting off Adam Idah in the wall.
Idah’s sharp angle shot into the side netting gave the visitors a brief but productive spell of possession in the Portugal half.
Leao cut in from the left at the opposite end and attempted a shot that went wide of the far post.
When Robbie Brady awkwardly knocked Ronaldo over in the area, he was furious when his penalty request was dismissed, but the referee did not change his mind.
Goncalo Inacio was responsible for wasting a fantastic opportunity to extend Portugal’s lead in injury time during the first half when he misdirected a lovely cross from Fernandes.
Ronaldo’s rocket
The Republic would have been relieved to just trail 1-0 at halftime, but despite numerous substitutions at halftime, Portugal would not relent, and an even more painful second half was to come.
Five minutes after the break, Ronaldo created a moment of magic when replacement Ruben Neves flicked the ball into the 39-year-old, who then double-stepped-over to get by Scales and angled a shot into the top corner.
On the hour, he curled home Portugal’s third goal as the hosts took advantage of a fatigued Republic team.
After Diogo Jota nudged the ball to Ronaldo inside the area, the player scored his 130th goal for his country by sweeping it into the top corner on his first attempt.
Tom Cannon, a replacement, nearly scored his team’s first goal in a rare forward move but missed after sprinting through.
After that, Kelleher stopped Fernandes’ dipping strike, which needed to be turned away, and Ronaldo, in an unusual move, missed a close-range attempt to complete a hat-trick.
While Portugal is optimistic going into the Euros, the Republic of Ireland, who play England in the Nations League in September, will be hoping to have a permanent manager in place, with O’Shea a strong candidate for the position.
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