In stoppage time, FRANCISCO CONCEICAO scored to keep Portugal from losing versus Czech Republic.

Substitute Conceicao scored from close range to ignite excitement in rain-soaked Leipzig just when it seemed Cristiano Ronaldo and his colleagues would be treated the cold shoulder in their debut game.

Francisco Conceicao gave Portugal a somewhat remarkable triumph.

The twenty-one-year-old hardly spent a few minutes following bench call.

Portugal had the most shots by far and controlled possession.

Ronaldo’s arm’s top had been declared offside just seconds before he headed against the post, Diogo Jota nodding in the rebound.

Eventually, though, Portugal could not be denied.

Thus, Ronaldo’s sixth Euros started with a score that reversed from his first.

His first major competition was Euro 2004 twenty years ago.

hosts Portugal succumbed 2-1 against Greece, even though the then-teenager scored his first international goal.

A few weeks later, their suffering grew even more when the same opponent upset them in the championship final.

And when Lukas Provod fired their first meaningful shot, Czechia was about to start a similar smаsh-and-grab аttаck.

Although Ivan Hasek’s team came agonisingly close to upsetting them, an unfortunate Robin Hranac’s own goal shortly equalise the game.

With a superb strike, Lukas Provod put the Czech Republic first.

Robin Hranac negated the Czech Republic’s opener by scoring an own goal.

The two oldest swingers in town left for Portugal.

Pepe, 41, was the oldest player to show up in a European Championship final surpassing former Hungary and Crystal Palace custodian Gabor Kiraly.

At 39, Ronaldo started the first guy to participate in six Euros. He was also raising his record 26 appearances count. The issue was, though, whether he could top his all-time marks of 12 victories and 14 goals.

Before his squad started, the great guy was already many yards into the Czech half, so keen to get going.

Portugal also sprang from the blocks fast, playing in a fluid 3-4-3 form with Nuno Mendes at left centre back and Joao Cancelo routinely rotating from wing back to midfield.

Though they controlled territory and possession, they found it difficult to generate precise opportunities.

Ronaldo had no more shots on target between his early mistimed header and his shot in first-half stoppage time, which Czech keeper Jindrich Stanek saved.

The Portuguese captain seemed to be marginally offside, unless you take into account Ronaldo’s effort on a Bruno Fernandes through pass, which Stanek also blocked.

Most clearly Martinez’s man, Rafael Leao arrived agonisingly close to crossing a Fernandes cross on the one occasion the obstinate Czechs were actually split apart.

Though the aim was written off, Diogo Jota thought he had placed Portugal ahead.

During the build-up Cristiano Ronaldo was judged offside. Leao lost it and got a yellow card for diving from Italian referee Marco Guida.

Portugal custodian Diogo Costa, meantime, had little to do but observe Patrik Schick’s poor connection with Vladimir Coufal’s cross in a rare Czech аttаck.

Not much changed after the interval. Great headers by Tomas Holes and Tomas Soucek stopped Ronaldo from advancing Portugal. Stanek stopped exactly on a less-than-vintage free kιck from guess who. The Czech defence barely passed heroic.

Then, shockingly, they scored. Coufal set up Provod for a lovely shot off Costa’s right post and cleaned up following an аttаck’s breakdown.

Martinez utilised his star-studded bench at last, putting on Diogo Jota, and the equaliser came swiftly.

But it originated from an unexpecteԀ and, for the Czechs, sad source. Stanek saved the back-post header of Nuno Mendes, but the ball deflected back off Robin Hranac into the net.

Stanek made escape from Vitinha and Bernardo Silva. Soucek shot just barely wide on the other end as the game drew towards its concluding 10 minutes.

Jota rejoiced early after deciding he had the victory.

But with his late strike, son of former Portugal player Sergio made the family proud.

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