EURO 2024 match schedule today: Will Ronaldo play from the start, waiting for the unknown Georgia
Báo Thanh niên•18/06/2024
All eyes will be on Leipzig to watch Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal take on the Czech Republic in Group D of EURO 2024, which kicks off at 2am on June 19. Also in this group, Georgia will have their first match at a major tournament when they face Türkiye.
Georgia Mystery
Türkiye will play Georgia in the opening match of Group F of EURO 2024 at 11pm on June 18. This is considered a very important match for both teams in the race for tickets to the next round because Group F also includes Portugal and the Czech Republic.
Georgia makes its first major tournament appearance
AFP
Türkiye's best ever performance at the EUROs was in 2008, when they reached the semi-finals, but were eliminated in the group stages at EUROs 2016 and 2020. However, the Crescent-Stars (as the Turkish team is known) will be hoping to secure a place in the last 16 this time around, having been favourites to beat Georgia in the first round of Group F. Vincenzo Montella's side will enter the tournament on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Poland and have failed to win in their last five games (3 L2 D2). They will be meeting Georgia for the sixth time and have won three of their previous five, most recently a 3-1 victory when the two sides met in a friendly in May 2012. Georgia, meanwhile, will be playing at a major tournament for the first time in their history and it will be interesting to see how they fare this summer. Willy Sagnol's side beat Greece on penalties in the play-offs to book their place in Germany, and have played just one game since that historic night, beating Montenegro 3-1 in a friendly earlier this month. Whether the lack of preparation will affect Georgia remains to be seen, but the group fixtures could work in their favour, with Portugal in their final game. Roberto Martinez's side could already have secured a place in the knockout stages by then, so they could rest key players. Georgia's standout player is 23-year-old Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who plays for Napoli and has 15 goals in 30 appearances for the national team. However, Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, Slovan Bratislava's Guram Kashia and Watford's Giorgi Chakvetadze are also notable inclusions. Therefore, Georgia has enough talent to cause a surprise at EURO 2024.
Audience anxiously waiting for CR7 to debut
One of the championship candidates, Portugal, will play the Czech Republic in Leipzig in Group F at 2am on June 19. Portugal is considered one of the strong teams in Germany, while the Czech Republic will try to overcome Türkiye and Georgia to win the remaining ticket.
Ronaldo (right) and Portugal are considered the strongest in Group F.
AFP
Portugal won EURO 2016 and have reached the semi-finals of the tournament three more times, but were knocked out in the last 16 at EURO 2020. The Iberians then reached the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup. There have been plenty of positive signs under the Spaniard since Roberto Martinez took charge shortly after the tournament. France, England and Germany are considered the three favourites to win EURO 2024, but Portugal are also tipped for success thanks to the talent and experience of their star-studded squad. The Selecao das Quinas will head into their Group F opener following a 3-0 friendly win over Ireland, with superstar Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice. Portugal have actually lost two of their last four games, but they are strong contenders to top Group F. Martinez's side will face Türkiye in their second game, before concluding the group stage with Georgia.
EURO 2024 could be Ronaldo's last major tournament. Spectators are anxiously awaiting his first start.
AFP
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic will come into this match following a 2-1 win over North Macedonia in their Euro 2024 warm-up earlier this month. Ivan Hasek's side are on a five-match winning run in all competitions. Following a Euro 2024 qualifying win over Moldova last November, the Czechs have since beaten Norway, Armenia, Malta and North Macedonia in friendlies. The Czechs were runners-up at EURO 1996, reached the semi-finals in 2004 and reached the quarter-finals in two of the last three tournaments. The Czechs are likely to impress in this tournament after a decent qualifying campaign, picking up 15 points from eight matches. The Czechs have lost four of their last five games against Portugal, including a 0-4 defeat when the two sides met in the UEFA Nations League in September 2022.
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