June 13, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 08, 1429

GENEVA, June 12: Cristiano Ronaldo, tipped by many to become Euro 2008’s player of the tournament, scored one goal and made another to give Portugal a 3-1 win over Czech Republic in Group ‘A’ on Wednesday.

The victory at the Stade de Geneve put Portugal firmly on top of the group with six points and after another Group ‘A’ game on Wednesday in which Turkey overpowered Switzerland 2-1 in Basel made Ronaldo’s team the first to qualify for the quarter-finals,.

With the game level at 1-1, Ronaldo struck in the 63rd minute with a firm shot from a pass by Deco and then set up Ricardo Quaresma to add the third in stoppage time.

Portugal began better and after midfield probing by both teams, they went ahead in their first foray into Petr Cech’s area in the eighth minute.

Ronaldo sped through the defence and tried to round Cech. The goalkeeper blocked with his foot but the ball ran free to Deco on the left who put it in the net at the second attempt. The goal stung the Czechs into action.

Libor Sionko equalised nine minutes later after the winger had won a corner with a penetrating attacking run down the right. Sionko then powered a header past Ricardo from Jaroslav Plasil’s corner.

Czech Republic were far more enterprising and sharp than against the Swiss on Saturday with a Marek Matejovsky at the helm and striker Milan Baros trying to unsettle Portugal’s Pepe and Ricardo Carvalho.

The Czechs were strong on the wings, forcing Ronaldo to try attacking down the middle where he brought a diving save from Cech with a shot from outside the area.

A Ronaldo free kick just before halftime was one of five Portuguese shots on target in the first half to just one for Czech Republic.

The Czechs could have gone ahead minutes after the interval when Matejovsky set up Sionko for a low cross from the right that went across the face of goal untouched.

Close to the hour Cech made a good save from Simao Sabrosa’s point-blank shot as the Czechs sat back soaking up pressure.

Czech captain Tomas Ujfalusi was just wide when he glanced a right wing corner with his head towards the far post minutes before Ronaldo struck.

Ronaldo then finished off a breakaway by squaring the ball for Quaresma to steer into an empty net.

Meanwhile, Turkey sent co-hosts Switzerland sliding out of Euro Championship in the cruellest possible way when a stoppage time goal from Arda Turan secured a 2-1 victory in an enthralling Group ‘A’ match at St Jakob Park in Basel.

The Swiss fans were just about to applaud a draw that would have kept their team in contention when Arda curled in a shot that took a deflection off defender Patrick Mueller and flew past goalkeeper Diego Benaglio for the winning goal.

The result also means Portugal, who earlier beat Czech Republic 3-1, became the first team to reach the quarter-finals. They are top of the group with six points ahead of the Czechs and Turkey on three with the Swiss bottom with no points.

The victory was a measure of revenge for the Turks because the last time they met Switzerland, in a World Cup qualifying playoff in 2005 in Istanbul, the Swiss went through on the away goals rule and the match ended in a touchline brawl.Arda’s goal, which came from a superb counter-attacking move after the Swiss had a chance to go 2-1 ahead themselves, keeps Turkey afloat in the tournament after torrential rain had reduced the pitch to a quagmire in the first half.

A 30-minute downpour that began soon after kick-off made conditions in the first half almost unplayable as the increasingly rain-sodden surface became dotted with puddles.

For a few minutes it looked as if the match might have to be abandoned, but the worst of the rain passed by halftime and the pitch improved in the second period.

Switzerland had taken the lead in the 32nd minute with a goal that owed as much to the conditions as to the quick thinking of forward Eren Derdiyok.

Forced out wide he hit a low cross into the box that eluded goalkeeper Volkan Demirel, and bounced in and out of a puddle before falling for Hakan Yakin who poked it into an empty net.

Turkey equalised after 57 minutes when substitute Semih Senturk outjumped Swiss skipper Ludovic Magnin to reach Nihat Kahveci’s cross and power an unstoppable header past Benaglio.

The second half was evenly balanced and Volkan had to make a fine double save from Yakin and Swiss substitute Ricardo Cabanas late on before Arda collected a superb pass from Tuncay Sanli before cutting inside to score from the edge of the area.—Reuters