Cristiano Ronaldo and 2016 European champions Portugal are the final team to begin play at the 2024 tournament, as they contest their opening match of Group F against Czechia.
The 39-year-old Ronaldo becomes the first-ever player to step foot on the pitch in six different UEFA championship tournaments, adding to his status as one of the greatest players of all time.
Ranked sixth in the world, Portugal are hoping to bounce back from a quarterfinal exit at the 2022 World Cup, where they fell to a shock defeat against African side Morocco.
Czechia have reached the knockout stage on four occasions since their debut at this competition in 1996, finishing as runners-up in their first go and making the semifinals in 2004, but have not made it past the quarterfinals since.
The Sporting News is following the Portugal vs. Czechia match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
Portugal vs. Czechia live score
| 2nd Half | Goal scorers | |
| Portugal | 0 | – |
| Czechia | 0 | – |
Location: Red Bull Arena (Leipzig, Germany)
Referee: Marco Guida (ITA)
Starting lineups:
Portugal (3-4-3, right to left): Costa (GK) — Dias, Pepe, Mendes — Dalot, Fernandes, Vitinha, Cancelo — Silva, Ronaldo, Leao.
Czechia (3-1-4-2, right to left): Stanek (GK) — Hranac, Krejci, Holes — Soucek — Coufal, Provod, Sulc, Doudera — Schick, Kuchta.
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Portugal vs. Czechia live updates, highlights from Euro 2024
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 goal-kick.
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!
All eyes on CR7 👀🐐 #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/7YnHK7GgVd
— DAZN DE (@DAZN_DE) June 18, 2024
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 gilt-edge 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.
Ronaldo with ANOTHER chance for Portugal, saved by Jindřich Staněk 🧤 pic.twitter.com/BGVbySDWWy
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2024
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-organised 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!
Vitinha 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 utilises 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!
Arda Güler was 3 years old when Turkey made the semi-finals at Euro 2008. They’ve never made it past the knockout stage since…
Before today he started 7 games for club and country and has scored 7 goals ✨
Today the 19-year-old broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record to become the… pic.twitter.com/vjH96eCIVr
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 18, 2024
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.
2008 ➡️ 2024
Ronaldo and Pepe in the Euros together once more 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/jo14BFKjuI
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2024
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.
14 Premier League players could feature as Portugal take on Czechia at #Euro2024!
Who are you looking forward to seeing in action? 🇵🇹🇨🇿 pic.twitter.com/oQqTIBxKyy
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 18, 2024
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.
🥉🇪🇸 Álvaro Morata becomes the third top scorer in the history of the Euros with 7 goals.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo (14) and Michel Platini (9) have more goals than him. pic.twitter.com/cJp5zXzD3e
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 15, 2024
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 | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Czechia | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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.
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