Portugal began Euro 2024 as one of the teams strongly fancied to win the competition, so they hardly needed the huge helping hand given to them by Turkey in Dortmund.
Bernardo Silva’s strike midway through the first half put Portugal in control but this game will surely be remembered for their second, when a calamitous mix-up in the Turkey defence led to an own goal by Samet Akaydin, gifting the 2016 champions a 2-0 lead.
Turkey never looked like recovering from that setback and Bruno Fernandes added a third in the second half after being unselfishly set up by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal are through as Group F winners, joining Germany and Spain in qualifying for the round of 16 after two matches. Turkey are still in a strong position to reach the knockout stages and will finish second if they avoid defeat against the Czech Republic in their final group match.
Tim Spiers and Jacob Whitehead analyse the game’s key talking points.
The (own) goal of the tournament so far?
When Altay Bayindir woke up on Saturday morning, it must have felt like the world was bathed in a warm technicolour glow. The sun was out in Dortmund for the first time all week. He plays in the Premier League for Manchester United. And he was starting in goal for his country, brought in for Mert Gunok.
In the 21st minute he conceded to Bernardo. No matter. Part of being a goalkeeper.
But in the 28th minute, he conceded the sort of goal which makes your world go grey. Joao Cancelo drove through the Turkey defence, played a pass forward expecting Ronaldo to go one way but his captain went the other and any danger seemed to have subsided.
Turkey centre-back Akaydin had time; time he would now trade his riches to get back. His backpass was played as if expecting Bayindir to be on his line — but the goalkeeper had jogged forward to claim the ball himself. It slid two metres to his right, rolling towards the centre of the goal.
Bayindir and right-back Zeki Celik sprinted back — but the defender’s clearance came 5cm too late. Both lay entangled in the Turkish net, sandwiched between a view of reality in front of them and the sound of insanity from Portugal’s fans behind them.
(Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
(Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images)
(Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)
Jacob Whitehead
Portugal scored three goals but Ronaldo only saw one…
It’s pretty annoying when you miss a goal at a football match, but sometimes it’s perfectly understandable. You might be at the bar ordering a pint, or maybe you’ve had to dash to the toilet, or perhaps some annoying person has stood up in front of you. Annoying, but these things happen.
Or if you’re Ronaldo, you were theatrically rolling around on the floor having lost your balance in the penalty area when Nuno Mendes’ delivery was diverted out of your path because of a deflection, so you missed Bernardo scoring his first goal at a major tournament (in his 15th appearance, still no assists yet though).
Then seven minutes later you were too busy throwing a tantrum, flailing your arms around and chastising Cancelo’s misplaced pass, so you missed the fact Akaydin and Bayindir had contrived to concede the sixth own goal of this tournament and one of the funniest in the history of the European Championship.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo were all smiles seconds after Ronaldo was fuming with his team-mate (Friso Gentsch/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
Catch the highlights on YouTube, Ronny.
So keen must Ronaldo have been to actually watch a Portugal goal being scored, he squared to Fernandes when in on goal for the third. There is no other reasonable explanation for his uncharacteristic act of unselfishness.
Tim Spiers
Are Portugal justifying the pre-tournament expectations?
Portugal were discombobulated and haphazard in their fortunate victory against the Czech Republic, with manager Roberto Martinez using an unusual formation and selecting players in unfamiliar roles.
Here, they were the complete opposite. With Martinez reverting back to 4-3-3, playing Cancelo at right-back and bringing in Joao Palhinha in defensive midfield, they looked balanced, fluent, confident and in control.
Fernandes and Bernardo were sprightly and creative, the 41-year-old Pepe was imperious at the back, Cancelo and Mendes offered piercing width and, in the ultimate indication they are playing as a team, Ronaldo produced that moment of unselfishness for the third goal.
Ronaldo and Rafael Leao even tracked back more than usual in what was a game full of positives for Martinez, who could substitute booked players at half-time and not weaken the XI. Their strength in depth possibly runs deeper than any nation.
They were not perfect — Turkey were unable to take advantage of some sloppy passes at the back — but they were so much better than in their last game, which bodes well for what Martinez is trying to create.
By winning the group they will now play a third-placed side from Group A, B or C (currently Scotland, Albania and Slovenia) in the second round. In this form, their ambitions for the tournament should stretch a lot further than that.
Tim Spiers
Turkey bring the noise, Ronaldo feels its force
With 25,000 Turkey fans in Signal Iduna Park’s south stand — usually Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall, today deep red — decibels became a construct. It was the sort of noise which reaches terminal aurality and simply buzzes, not bone-conduction but bone-destruction.
Approximately 2.9 million of Germany’s inhabitants have either Turkish passports or Turkish roots, the largest population of Turks outside Turkey itself. Their presence during the first game, a 3-1 win over Georgia, led to one of the games of the tournament. But here, in the shape of Portugal’s Ronaldo, there was a focal point to their anger, as well as their support.
There were fewer Turks here in number than on Tuesday, with Portugal taking a larger allocation of fans than Georgia, but they still made their presence felt.
When Ronaldo’s son, a child at 14, emerged from his box for a photo, Turkey’s fans rose to boo him. Worse was saved for the man himself — as his No 7 was read out pre-match, the stadium announcer was drowned out by howls, snarls, yowls, and whatever else makes noise.
It was a mark of Portugal’s quality that they managed to silence them with two first-half goals — there was a quiet lull after Turkey’s disastrous own goal went in, until the team were booed off at half-time.
What next for Turkey?
Wednesday, June 26: Czech Republic, Hamburg, 8pm UK, 3pm ET
What next for Portugal?
Wednesday, June 26: Georgia, Gelsenkirchen, 8pm UK, 3pm ET
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(Top photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
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