The heavily favored Portuguese left it until late but punched their semi-final ticket when Cristiano Ronaldo buried the Czechs with a 79th minute header.
Portugal 1 – Czech
Republic 0
– The bad and the
good of Cristiano Ronaldo. I maintain that, for all of his undeniable
talent and prodigious finishing, Ronaldo lacks the leadership skills to be a
captain. The attacker’s constant pouting and griping at teammates — Helder
Postiga particularly seems to be a whipping boy — leaves one wondering how the
squad could possibly be inspired by his antics. That said, Ronaldo also showed
off the beautiful side of his game, using an inspired run to beat his marker
and send Portugal into the semifinals. Ronaldo has always been a polarizing figure
and managed to show off both sides to his personality in his team’s historic
win.
– Czech Republic
exited with their heads held high. Given little chance heading into
this quarter-final, the Czechs gave Portugal all that they could handle. One
moment stands out: Just minutes in, a Czech defender took exception to Nani’s
challenge and sized him up before the referee could separate the two. It was a
telling moment, as the Czech Republic would go on to battle from start to
finish, going toe-to-toe with a side many regard as a title contender. As I
wrote in my quarter-final preview, this was the swan song for a Czech
generation that had made a semi-final run at Euro 2004 and qualified for the
nation’s first World Cup. It was a strong finale.
– Portugal needs to
improve. With all due respect to an admirable Czech Republic effort,
Portugal should have done better if they are serious about their title
ambitions. Facing a team that was embarrassed by Russia — a team with a similar
style — just weeks ago, Portugal stuttered in the final third and could have
easily been exposed on a counterattack and eliminated. It is a side that is at its
best when their attackers feel confident enough to make plays on their own.
When they face adversity, though, too often they retreat and expect Ronaldo to
carry them through. A more complete team effort is needed if they are to make
the final.
