Francisco Conceição, who came on as a substitute in the 90th minute, scored a decisive goal in stoppage time to give Portugal a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic in their first match of the European Championship on Tuesday.
Conceição found the back of the net in the 92nd minute after a deflection from Robin Hranac allowed him to slot the ball past the goalkeeper and into the left corner of the net. Portugal coach Roberto Martínez praised the depth of his squad, highlighting the impact of substitutes in securing the win.
After scoring, Conceição celebrated by removing his jersey and receiving a yellow card. The goal came almost 24 years after his father, Sérgio Conceição, scored a hat trick that eliminated defending champion Germany from Euro 2000.
Despite attempts by Cristiano Ronaldo, who made history by appearing in his sixth European Championship, Portugal struggled to increase their lead.
The 39-year-old Ronaldo, who holds the record for most goals in the tournament with 14, was unable to add to his tally in his 26th appearance.
At 41, Portugal’s defender Pepe became the oldest player in the tournament, although he had little to do as his team controlled possession and created numerous scoring opportunities.
Martínez credited his team’s unity and resilience for overcoming the early deficit after Lukas Provod’s goal gave the Czech Republic the lead in the 62nd minute. Portugal equalized in the 70th minute when Nuno Mendes’ header was inadvertently redirected into the net by Hranac.
Hranac’s involvement continued to be crucial, but this time in a less fortunate way, as his attempted block led to Conceição’s winning goal.
