The Briefing: Turkey 0-3 Portugal – win secures top spot as pitch invaders target Ronaldo

Portugal began Euro 2024 as one of the teams strongly fancied to win the competition, so they hardly needed the huge helping hand given to them by Turkey in Dortmund.

Bernardo Silva’s strike midway through the first half put Portugal in control, but this game will surely be remembered for their second, when a calamitous mix-up in the Turkey defence led to an own goal by Samet Akaydin, gifting the 2016 champions a 2-0 lead.

Turkey never looked like recovering from that setback and Bruno Fernandes added a third in the second half after being unselfishly set up by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal are through as Group F winners, joining Germany and Spain in qualifying for the round of 16 after two matches. Turkey are still in a strong position to reach the knockout stages and will finish second if they avoid defeat against the Czech Republic in their final group match.

Tim Spiers and Jacob Whitehead analyse the game’s key talking points.

The (own) goal of the tournament so far?

When Altay Bayindir woke up on Saturday morning, it must have felt like the world was bathed in a warm technicolour glow. The sun was out in Dortmund for the first time all week. He plays in the Premier League for Manchester United. And he was starting in goal for his country, brought in for Mert Gunok.

In the 21st minute, he conceded to Bernardo. No matter. Part of being a goalkeeper.

But in the 28th minute, he conceded the sort of goal that makes your world go grey. Joao Cancelo drove through the Turkey defence and played a pass forward expecting Ronaldo to go one way, but his captain went the other and any danger seemed to have subsided.

Turkey centre-back Akaydin had time; time he would now trade his riches to get back. His backpass was played as if expecting Bayindir to be on his line — but the goalkeeper had jogged forward to claim the ball himself. It slid two metres to his right, rolling towards the centre of the goal.

Bayindir and right-back Zeki Celik sprinted back, but the defender’s clearance came 5cm too late. Both lay entangled in the Turkish net, sandwiched between a view of reality in front of them and the sound of insanity from Portugal’s fans behind them.

(Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images)

(Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)

Jacob Whitehead

Portugal scored three goals but Ronaldo only saw one…

It’s pretty annoying when you miss a goal at a football match, but sometimes it’s perfectly understandable. You might be at the bar ordering a pint, or maybe you’ve had to dash to the toilet, or perhaps some annoying person has stood up in front of you. Irritating, but these things happen.

Or if you’re Ronaldo, you were theatrically rolling around on the floor having lost your balance in the penalty area when Nuno Mendes’ delivery was diverted out of your path because of a deflection, so you missed Bernardo scoring his first goal at a major tournament (in his 15th appearance, still no assists yet though).

Then, seven minutes later, you were too busy throwing a tantrum, flailing your arms around and chastising Cancelo’s misplaced pass, so you missed the fact Akaydin and Bayindir had contrived to concede the sixth own goal of this tournament and one of the funniest in the history of the European Championship.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo were all smiles seconds after Ronaldo was fuming with his team-mate (Friso Gentsch/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

Catch the highlights on YouTube, Ronny.

So keen must Ronaldo have been to actually watch a Portugal goal being scored, he squared to Fernandes when in on goal for the third. There is no other reasonable explanation for his uncharacteristic act of unselfishness.

Tim Spiers

A pitch invader problem for UEFA

There is always a circus that follows Ronaldo and, yes, he’s one of the best and most famous footballers of all time, so you’d expect that, but the cultish band of selfie pitch invaders desperately hoping for a picture of their hero has reached a low point.

Two people managed to get onto the pitch during the second half.

One was a child and Ronaldo gleefully welcomed him with open arms and posed for a picture.

Another, a fully-grown man, almost grappled the Portugal striker with his arm tightly around his neck, which Ronaldo then removed. The bloke had a cup thrown at him as he was hauled off. Not really worth it, was it?

Cristiano Ronaldo grew increasingly frustrated as the pitch invaders kept on coming (Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)

At full time, the situation became serious when a number of people headed for Ronaldo from all angles as the stewards miserably failed to stop them from getting onto the pitch.

One appearing to be wearing a Turkey shirt was stopped well before he reached Ronaldo.

When Portugal’s captain spotted the next, while the players were slowly walking around the pitch clapping the fans, he put his arm out in frustration and stood still, hoping the stewards reached him first. They did, but not without one of the stewards sliding into Goncalo Ramos, who was clean taken out and then hobbled to his feet.

There were seven pitch invaders in total, all trying for a Ronaldo selfie.

This is a situation UEFA really needs to get a grip on because the safety of Ronaldo and his team-mates is being put at risk.

Tim Spiers

Are Portugal justifying the pre-tournament expectations?

Portugal were discombobulated and haphazard in their fortunate victory against the Czech Republic, with manager Roberto Martinez using an unusual formation and selecting players in unfamiliar roles.

Here, they were the complete opposite. With Martinez reverting to 4-3-3, playing Cancelo at right-back and bringing in Joao Palhinha in defensive midfield, they looked balanced, fluent, confident and in control.

Fernandes and Bernardo were sprightly and creative, the 41-year-old Pepe was imperious at the back, Cancelo and Mendes offered piercing width and, in the ultimate indication they are playing as a team, Ronaldo produced that moment of unselfishness for the third goal.

Ronaldo and Rafael Leao even tracked back more than usual in what was a game full of positives for Martinez, who could substitute booked players at half-time and not weaken the XI. Their strength in depth possibly runs deeper than any nation.

They were not perfect — Turkey were unable to take advantage of some sloppy passes at the back — but they were so much better than in their last game, which bodes well for what Martinez is trying to create.

By winning the group, they will now play a third-placed side from Group A, B or C (currently Scotland, Albania and Slovenia) in the round of 16. In this form, their ambitions for the tournament should stretch a lot further than that.

Tim Spiers

Turkey bring the noise, Ronaldo feels its force

With 25,000 Turkey fans in Signal Iduna Park’s south stand — usually Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall, today deep red — decibels became a construct. It was the sort of noise that reaches terminal aurality and simply buzzes — not bone conduction but bone destruction.

Approximately 2.9 million of Germany’s inhabitants have either Turkish passports or Turkish roots, the largest population of Turks outside Turkey itself. Their presence during the first game, a 3-1 win over Georgia, led to one of the games of the tournament. But here, in the shape of Portugal’s Ronaldo, there was a focal point to their anger, as well as their support.

GO DEEPER

For the 2.8million Turks in Germany, football is coming home

There were fewer Turks here in number than on Tuesday, with Portugal taking a larger allocation of fans than Georgia, but they still made their presence felt.

When Ronaldo’s son, a child at 14, emerged from his box for a photo, Turkey’s fans rose to boo him. Worse was saved for the man himself — as his No 7 was read out pre-match, the stadium announcer was drowned out by howls, snarls, yowls, and whatever else makes noise.

It was a mark of Portugal’s quality that they managed to silence them with two first-half goals — there was a quiet lull after Turkey’s disastrous own goal went in until the team were booed off at half-time.

Jacob Whitehead

What next for Turkey?

Wednesday, June 26: vs Czech Republic, Hamburg, 8pm UK, 3pm ET

What next for Portugal?

Wednesday, June 26: vs Georgia, Gelsenkirchen, 8pm UK, 3pm ET

Recommended reading

(Top photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)