Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal battled back to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 thanks to substitute Francisco Conceicao's late winner in their opening Group F game on Tuesday.
Roberto Martinez's side went a goal down against the run of play after a brilliant strike just after the hour by Czech Republic's Lukas Provod.
Portugal had dominated possession but couldn't find the goal their superiority deserved, with their record scorer Ronaldo going close on several occasions.
The Al Nassr man, who was top scorer in last season's Saudi Pro League, was denied twice in the first half by saves from Czech keeper Jindrich Stanek and the 2016 European champions were caught by a sucker punch when Provod scored with a sweet strike from outside the box on 62 minutes.
Stanek then handed the Portuguese a lifeline when he parried a Nuno Mendes header against defender Robin Hranac and the ball bounced into the back of the net.
Portugal substitute Diogo Jota thought he had grabbed the winner when he pounced to nod home after a powerful Ronaldo header had struck the post but a VAR check ruled that Ronaldo had been offside in the build-up.
It was left to another substitute, Conceicao, to make sure that Ronaldo got his record sixth European Championship campaign off to a winning start as he scored from close range in stoppage time.
Portugal's Spanish coach Martinez said the 21-year-old Porto winger deserved his moment of glory.
"Francisco is the ultimate example of earning it. He deserves to be here and showed he is ready to help the group," Martinez told reporters.
"Francisco is doing what he's been doing for the past four months in his club team. This is not easy. He showed character and showed his worth because he was allowed to be here.
"Francisco is a very mature player. He plays very direct. He's got a nose for danger in the box.
"For a national team coach and having a player that showed what he showed, it's very important."
The former Belgium coach praised his players' attitude in fighting back against a tough Czech team.
"We conceded – a goal down – and managed to win the game," he said. "We lost against Slovenia after conceding the first goal, Croatia the same thing happened [both in friendlies]. Today we conceded and won.
"We all want to grow together during this tournament, we played the perfect 90 minutes to be able to grow – next we face off against Turkey."
Portugal meet Turkey on Saturday, while the Czech Republic face Georgia, who lost 3-1 to the Turks in Tuesday's earlier kick off.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Brief scores:
England: 290 & 346
Sri Lanka: 336 & 243
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale