Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal left it very late indeed to secure an opening win in their Euro 2024 clash against Czechia, with youngster Francisco Conceicao popping up to score a 92nd-minute winner and begin their Group F campaign with a dramatic victory.
A goalless first half had seen Portugal produce chance after chance to no avail, but it was Czechia who took a shock lead midway through the second period, thanks to a glorious first-time strike that was curled into the top corner by Lukas Provod.
However, unfancied Czechia couldn't keep on top for long, and a mix-up at the back between goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek and his defence saw the ball deflect off Robin Hranac into his own net, making it 1-1 just seven minutes after Portugal went behind.
[hyperlink widget_catalog_id="fubo_linkline" link="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/soccer/?irad=356358&irmp=1131770&sharedid=editorial" title="Watch all the action from Euro 2024" more_text="STREAM:"]
An offside against Ronaldo denied Diogo Jota what looked to have been the winner from a close-range header, as semi-automated VAR intervened, but deep into injury time, Portugal finally came up trumps as substitutes Pedro Neto and Conceicao combined in the area to win it 2-1 at the death.
Czechia defended resolutely throughout apart from those two key moments, but what a story for Portugal and Conceicao. He scored on his competitive tournament debut for the Iberians just two minutes after coming on, on the same night that 41-year-old teammate Pepe became the oldest player in Euros history.
Group F was worth the wait, with two sensational matches between Portugal and Czechia, as well as Turkey vs. Georgia earlier in the day, and the next two pairs of games look set to be just as entertaining.
Here's the match stats as Portugal held on to win:
| Portugal | Stat | Czechia |
| 19 | Shots | 5 |
| 8 | Shots on target | 1 |
| 1.74 | Expected goals (if applicable) | 0.43 |
| 73.6% | Possession | 26.4% |
| 707 | Passes | 255 |
| 13 | Corners | 0 |
| 6 | Fouls | 9 |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 1 |
| 3 | Offsides | 1 |
Portugal vs. Czechia final score, result
| Fulltime | Goal scorers | |
| Portugal | 2 | Hranac (OG) '69, Conceicao 90+2' |
| Czechia | 1 | Provod, 62' |
Location: Red Bull Arena (Leipzig, Germany)
Referee: Marco Guida (ITA)
Starting lineups:
Portugal (3-4-3, right to left): Costa (GK) — Dias, Pepe, Mendes (90' Neto) — Dalot (63' Inacio), Fernandes, Vitinha (90' Concecaio), Cancelo (90' Semedo) — Silva, Ronaldo, Leao (63' Jota).
Czechia (3-1-4-2, right to left): Stanek (GK) — Hranac, Krejci, Holes (90+3' Chory) — Soucek — Coufal, Provod (79' Barak), Sulc (79' Sevcik), Doudera — Schick (61' Chytil), Kuchta (60 'Lingr).
MORE: Euro 2024 schedule and results, updated LIVE | Who will win Euro 2024? Latest odds and predictions | How to watch all the Euro 2024 action
Portugal vs. Czechia live updates, highlights from Euro 2024
FULLTIME:
It's all over in Leipzig, and Portugal score a 92nd-minute winner to seal three points in the most dramatic fashion! Conceicao's late, late goal wins it for Portugal at the end of a frantic, fantastic second half, which Czechia briefly led thanks to that sensational strike from Provod.
Portugal weren't behind for long though, equalising through Hranac's unfortunate own goal just seven minutes later, and although Ronaldo's offside saw Jota denied a potential winner, the youngster Neto and Conceicao's late impact was a lasting one to win the game at the death!
90+5 mins: FULLTIME — Portugal 2-1 Czechia.
90+4 mins: Lingr is picked out in the box and lashes a shot across the face of goal, but any corner to follow is ruled out when the offside flag goes up.
90+3 mins: YELLOW CARD — Conceicao's shirt was off almost before the ball was in the net, but we'd wager that he doesn't care one bit about the yellow card he's then shown.
90+2 mins: GOOOOAAALLL!!!! Portugal 2-1 Czechia!! Portugal win it right at the death!
Neto does brilliantly to beat two men down the left before firing a cross into the middle, and a deflection sends the ball into the path of the Conceicao, who on his competitive Portugal debut taps it in from close range and sparks delirium in the stands!
90 mins: Four minutes of added time to play in Leipzig, can either side win it in the time we've got left?
89 mins: Portugal ready three more changes to make in the final throes of this game, though that's very little time for them to make much of an impact!
87 mins: NO GOAL — Portugal think they've finally hit the front, but the semi-automated offside denies them! Cancelo finds Ronaldo with a brilliant cross, but the Portugal captain's header back across goal bounces off the post.
It comes to Jota, whose makes no mistake to head into the back of the net on the rebound, but after some manic celebrations, VAR steps in to chalk the goal off by mere fractions of an arm!
85 mins: Hranac puts in a superb covering challenge to deny Jota and finds Coufal in support, but he's clattered over the sideline by a rash sliding challenge from Mendes.
82 mins: WIDE! Barak's close-range shot on the turn is blocked and ricochets back to Soucek, whose left-footed strike is dragged just inches wide of the near post.
81 mins: Fernandes picks out Ronaldo with a looping cross, but a fantastic Krejci header denies him a clear effort at goal!
80 mins: The Czechia goalscorer Provod and fellow midfielder Sulc are withdrawn just before the last 10 minutes, with Antonin Barak and Petr Sevcik coming on to provide fresh legs.
78 mins: SAVED! Stanek is called into action again as Vitinha lets fly from the edge of the box. It's a low 30-yard strike which fizzes across the grass, and is tipped away by the Czechia goalkeeper at the expense of another Portuguese corner.
75 mins: Fernandes finds the substitute Diogo Jota on the fly with a pinpoint cross-field pass, but his low, left-footed shot from the tightest of angles is held by Stanek
72 mins: SAVED! Coufal loses out to Silva on the edge of his own box and the Portuguese playmaker fires a shot goalwards which is parried away from danger by Stanek at his near post.
69 mins: GOAL — Portugal 1-1 Czechia! Portugal get back on level terms within minutes thanks to an own-goal! Mendes heads Vitinha's cross from the right back across the face of goal, and Stanek is caught cold. He can only push the ball into his own defender Hranac, and it ricochets off him into the back of the net. Ronaldo's men were behind for just over seven minutes, and they'll want to go on and win it from here!
65 mins: Portugal bring on two new players in response to conceding that shock Provod, but it's Czechia coming forward on the break now through one of their own substitutes in Chytil.
62 mins: GOAL — Portugal 0-1 Czechia!! That's upset the applecart — what a hit from Provod! The substitutes Chytil and Lingo both cause Portugal problems at the back, and Coufal comes up with possession in the box. He cuts the ball back to Provod, whose first-time strike curls beyond the dive of Costa and into the top-left corner!
59 mins: A glorious Cancelo flick puts Silva clean through on goal, but his ball across the face is blocked behind by a sliding Hranac.
58 mins: SAVED! Ronaldo fires his free-kick through the wall and on-target towards Stanek, but the Czechia goalkeeper is equal to the effort and holds the ball at the second time of asking.
57 mins: YELLOW CARD — Schick goes into the book having swept Ronaldo's feet from underneath him 30 yards from goal, and that gives Portugal a free-kick well within the Al-Nassr striker's range.
56 mins: Two Fernandes crosses and another from Cancelo are all headed and palmed away by Soucek and Stanek respectively, with Czechia's backs firmly to the wall again in this second half.
55 mins: Dias moves into the right-attacking position and fires in a cross for Ronaldo to meet. He does so with a header goalwards, but a block from Holes does enough to nudge the 39-year-old's effort off-target!
52 mins: Silva drifts infield from the right-hand side and looks to pick out the top corner, but it's a poor strike of the ball and sails high and wide of the mark.
50 mins: Czechia make a break of their own and Kuchta finds Schick to his left. He looks to cross, but massively overcooks his effort and waywardly sends it out for a goalkick.
48 mins: Fernandes dispossesses Schick on halfway and breaks forward for Portugal. He plays a wide pass for Silva to cross from the byline, but Krejci's there to block it behind for a corner.
47 mins: Dalot shapes to shoot on his left foot and lets fly after cutting inside from the right. His curling strike from the edge of the box is a good one, but flashes just over the top with Stanek happy to let it go!
46 mins: We're back for the second half in Leipzig, which Schick kicks off to resume the action as both sides chase that elusive opener.
HT: Portugal's 368 successful passes in the first half is their most on record in a half in European Championship finals since 1980 (Opta), but with the second half coming up, they need to make that dominance count sooner rather than later!
HT: We're goalless at the break, but that's not for a lack of trying from Portugal at the end of a one-sided first 45 minutes in Leipzig.
Ronaldo has put one header wide and seen another two shots kept out by Stanek — the first of which was a fantastic save — with Dias and Fernandes both seeing efforts blocked wide and over respectively from distance.
The Czechia defence has stood firm so far while offering very little going forward, and going into the second half, the onus is on Portugal to find a way to break them down.
45+1 mins: HALFTIME — Portugal 0-0 Czechia.
45 mins: SAVED! Ronaldo beats his marker after getting on the end of Cancelo's pass into the box, but his left-footed shot on the turn is palmed away by Stanek! We're into one added minute of first-half stoppage time, too.
42 mins: Coming in towards halftime, it's been one-way traffic in every sense for Portugal so far. Chances have been at a premium though, and Ronaldo's side need to do more to break down a well-structured Czechia defence.
39 mins: YELLOW CARD — Rafael Leao is carded after a Portuguese attack! He goes toe-to-toe with Soucek on the counter and takes a tumble right on the edge of the box, and while it looks to be a card-worthy challenge, Leao is in fact the man booked for simulation!
38 mins: A first real attack of the night from Czechia as Holes tees Coufal up to cross from the right. His ball is a brilliant one which Schick attacks, but Dias gets goal-side of the Bayer Leverkusen striker and pulls off a fantastic defensive header.
37 mins: Cancelo and Leao combine down the left and the latter fires a cross into the middle. It deflects off Coufal towards Stanek, but Hranac hammers the ball clear before his goalkeeper can collect.
33 mins: A lovely reverse pass from Ronaldo sends Vitinha racing through into the box, but he's crowded out by three white shirts and his eventual shot is blocked behind by Hranac!
32 mins: SAVED! Ronaldo is denied! Fernandes slips him through on goal with a fantastic threaded pass, but Ronaldo's first-time finish is palmed away from close range by the onrushing Stanek. Vtinha follows up with a low, curling strike from the edge of the box, but that too is saved and held by the Czechia goalkeeper!
28 mins: Leao skips his way between three challenges and scoops out a cross from the left. No one in red can get there, but Doudera's header back to his goalkeeper is spilled by Stanek and bobbles behind for a sixth Portuguese corner!
26 mins: A glorious chance for Portugal! Los Lusos counter at speed and Silva picks out Fernandes in acres of space down the right. He fizzes a low ball across the face of goal, but Leao can't quite get there at full stretch to tap it home!
24 mins: OVER! Fernandes is given far too much time and space by the defence and uses it to go for goal, sending a dipping shot just over the bar from 25 yards which leaves Stanek scrambling!
22 mins: BLOCKED! Dias pops up on the edge of the Czechia box to try a shot goalwards, but his 20-yard strike takes a deflection off Sulc and loops behind for another corner!
19 mins: Some lovely link-up play from Portugal after Mendes drives forward, but Dalot's cross from the opposite byline is deflected and headed away before Ronaldo can get there. Fernandes recycles possession and fizzes another ball in from the right, which is glanced behind for a corner by Coufal at the far post!
16 mins: Mendes tries a speculative effort from almost 30 yards out, but it's always rising and sails well wide of Stanek's left-hand upright!
12 mins: Leao darts beyond Coufal's sliding challenge and cuts a ball back from the byline, and although the Czechs can only half-clear, Fernandes' cross back into the area is caught comfortably by Stanek.
11 mins: Proved gets on the end of a scooped cross-field pass from Soucek and gets around then outside of Pepe, but a loose touch sends the ball behind for a goal-kick before he can get a cross away!
8 mins: WIDE! First chance of the night for Ronaldo! Portugal win the ball high up the field and Leao curls a cross into the area. The striker gets up to glance a header goalwards, but can only steer it past the near post!
4 mins: After Dalot can't keep Fernandes' cross in play, Czechia fire the ball forward and it comes to Schick. He plays in Sulc to his left, but the midfielder’s right-footed shot is blocked just inside the box.
3 mins: Fernandes and Silva play a one-two on the edge of the box to give the Manchester City man space on the left. He looks to dink a cross towards the far post, but it’s overhit and sails behind for a goal-kick.
Kickoff: Vitinha gets the game underway for Portugal, and the final fixture in the first round of matches at this year's European Championship is underway!
5 mins to kickoff: The teams are out, and will line up side-by-side for the respective national anthems ahead of kickoff in just a few minutes' time!
10 mins to kickoff: We're ready and raring to go with just a quarter of an hour left to wait, and the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig is split between differing shades of red tonight as the Portugal and Czechia sides get ready to set out onto the pitch!
15 mins to kickoff: Ronaldo in particular will be hoping for a goal more than anyone tonight - if he nets he'll become the oldest scorer in European Championship history, having had the record of youngest goalscorer in the tournament stripped away from him just an hour or so ago by Turkey teenager Arda Guler!
30 mins to kickoff: No such surprises from the Czechia camp, with Schick leading the line as expected alongside Jan Kuchta up front. West Ham star Tomas Soucek captains the side from the base of midfield, with David Doudera and club teammate Vladimir Coufal playing as wing-backs.
45 mins to kickoff: Portugal have sprung a surprise ahead of their opening match, naming five defenders in their lineup in a 3-4-3 formation. Pepe, who will break the record as the oldest player in European championship history, is joined by Ruben Dias and Nuno Mendes at the back.
Diogo Dalot and Joao Cancelo are therefore on the flanks, with Cristiano Ronaldo captaining the side and spearheading a three-man attack of world-class quality: himself, Bernardo Silva and Rafael Leao.
1 hour to kickoff: Perennial dark horses Turkey and tournament new boys Georgia played out a sensational Group F opener in Dortmund, with Turkey winning 3-1 thanks to two sensational strikes from right-back Mert Mulder and Real Madrid wonderkid Arda Guler before Kerem Aturktoglu rounded off the scoring with the final kick of the match!
1 hour 15 mins to kickoff: These two sides facing off in Leipzig will officially bring the first round of fixtures at this year's Euros to an end, with matchday two getting underway from tomorrow onwards as the four sides in Group A renew rivalries.
Can Portugal and Czechia bring matchday one to an end in style? Turkey and Georgia certainly got the action in Group F off to a flying start!
1 hour 30 mins to kickoff: Czechia, meanwhile, finished second behind Albania in their qualification group, albeit only by way of goal difference.
Captain Tomas Soucek and winger Vaclav Cerny led the way with three goals each and the Czechs will be confident themselves, coming into the tournament on the back of five straight wins in a row.
1 hour 45 mins to kickoff: Ronaldo's Portugal come into this European Championship having recorded a perfect qualification campaign. 10 games, 10 wins, 36 goals scored and just two conceded - Los Lusos mean business and Germany and will be looking to get their campaign off to a successful start.
2 hours to kickoff: Cristiano Ronaldo already holds the most international caps and goals for any men's player in the history of the game, and he will smash another all-time mark this competition as he becomes the first player ever to take part in six different European Championships. He already sits as the top goal scorer in Euro history with 14, five more than anyone else.
Portugal vs. Czechia kickoff time
This Euro 2024 match kicks off from Red Bull Arena on Tuesday, June 18 at 9 p.m. local time in Leipzig, Germany. Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Tue, Jun. 18 | 3 p.m. ET |
| USA/Canada | Tue, Jun. 18 | 12 a.m. PT |
| UK | Tue, Jun. 18 | 8 p.m. BST |
| Australia | Wed, Jun. 19 | 5 a.m. AEST |
| India | Tue, Jun. 18 | 11:30 p.m. IST |
Euro 2024 Group F standings
| Pos. | Team | GP | Points | W-L-D | Goals For | Goals Against |
| 1. | Turkey | 1 | 3 | 1-0-0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2. | Portugal | 1 | 3 | 1-0-0 | 2 | 1 |
| 3. | Czechia | 1 | 0 | 0-1-0 | 1 | 2 |
| 4. | Georgia | 1 | 0 | 0-1-0 | 1 | 3 |
Portugal vs. Czechia lineups, team news, starting 11
Cristiano Ronaldo leads the line for Portugal, with the 39-year-old Al-Nassr striker looking to add to his 130 goals tally for his country so far. Their captain and star man was relegated to a bench role at the 2022 World Cup, but will start this game alongside Premier League quarter Ruben Dias, Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva.
The only player left off the roster for this summer tournament due to injury was Ronaldo's Al Nassr teammate Otavio who went down with an undisclosed injury in the final club match of the season, and was replaced on the Portugal roster by Matheus Nunes.
Rather than the 4-3-3 they've often used in the matches leading up to the tournament, Portugal instead line up in a 3-4-3, with PSG's Nuno Mendes as a third centre-back alongside Dias and the soon-to-be oldest player in Euros history, Pepe. Joao Cancelo and Diogo Dalot will therefore push forward to play as wing-backs.
Portugal starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Costa (GK) — Dias, Pepe, Mendes — Dalot, Fernandes, Vitinha, Cancelo — Silva, Ronaldo, Leao.
Portugal subs (9): Patricio (GK), Sa (GK), Semedo, Palhinha, Ramos, Felix, Danilo, Inacio, Joao Neves, Nunes, Ruben Neves, Jota, Antonio Silva, Neto, Concecaio.
Czechia will be looking to Patrick Schick as their attacking reference after the striker became a star at Euro 2020. The Bayer Leverkusen forward matched Ronaldo's five goals at the tournament as Czechia bowed out in the quarterfinals.
West Ham duo Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal are set for key roles at the tournament, while Jan Kutcha gets the nod to start alongside Schick ahead of 21-year-old Bayer Leverkusen striker Adam Hlozek. The lone injury miss for Czechia in this tournament is FC Twente midfielder Michal Sadilek, whose 24 caps will not be at their disposal due to to a bizarre laceration suffered in a bicycle accident.
Captain Soucek will sit deep as the midfield lynchpin in a 3-1-4-2 formation, allowing Lukas Provod and Pavel Sulc to push forward into the final third.
Czechia starting lineup (3-5-2, right to left): Stanek (GK) — Holes, Hranac, Krejci — Coufal, Soucek, Provod, Barak, Jurasek — Kuchta, Schick
Czechia subs (9): Kovar (GK), Jaros (GK), Zima, Vitik, Barak, Sevcik, Hlozek, Chytil, David Jurasek, Cerny, Chory, Lingr, Cerv, Vlcek, Matej Jurasek.
Portugal vs. Czechia live stream, TV channel
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Fox Network | Fubo, Sling, FOX Sports app/website, ViX |
| Canada | TVA Sports, TSN 1, TSN 3, TSN 4, TLN | TVA+, TVA app/website, VIVA |
| UK | BBC One | BBC iPlayer/website |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | Sony Ten 2, 3 | JioTV, Sony LIV |
USA: Portugal vs. Czechia from Red Bull Arena will be televised in the United States on the Fox Network, with Spanish-language streaming via ViX. The game is also available to stream on Fubo, which is currently offering a FREE seven-day trial. Sling will also be live streaming the match.
Radio coverage of the match can be followed on SiriusXM FC.
UK: Portugal vs. Czechia in Euro 2024 action will be broadcast in the UK on BBC One. Streaming is available on the official BBC website and BBC iPlayer.
Canada: Euro 2024 matches can be seen in Canada on TSN's respective TV channel and live streaming services. TVA will be showing the match. TLN and VIVA are also options for this game.
Australia: Australia's sole broadcaster for Euro 2024 is Optus Sport.
India: Euro 2024 matches are available to stream on JioTV and Sony LIV. Sony Ten 2 and 3 will be showing this match on TV.
If the Portugal vs. Czechia match is not available to watch live in your location, or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
WATCH FROM ANYWHERE: Sign up for NordVPN (30-day moneyback guarantee)