Portugal edged out the Czech Republic on Tuesday night in their first match of Euro 2024 – and Manchester City defender Ruben Dias has today sent a very passionate and emotional message on social media.
Portugal, who are one of the favourites to win the competition, struggled against their opponents, who actually took the lead in Leipzig.
Portugal dominated in terms of possession, but it was the Czechs who struck first through Lukas Provod.
Roberto Martinez’s side levelled through an own goal from Robin Hranac. And then in injury-time, Portugal found a winner through Francisco Conceicao.
Ultimately, the result is all that matters for Portugal. But they will have to improve if they are to go deep in the tournament.
Despite their struggles, there was a relatively decent performance at the back from Manchester City star Ruben Dias, who has today sent a very passionate and emotional response to last night’s game.
Man City defender Ruben Dias sends defiant message after nervy Portugal win
Dias played as part of a back three for Portugal against the Czech Republic, along with Pepe and Nuno Mendes, before it became a back four in the second-half.
Joao Cancelo played a hybrid role, but did not impress the local media with his display.
Dias enjoyed a decent game. As per Sofascore, he completed 86/92 (93%) passes, won 6/10 duels and five defensive actions (four clearances, one block).
There was nothing he personally could have done to prevent the Czech Republic’s goal, so overall it was a good outing for City’s £65 million man.
Portugal were not at their best, but they managed to come through and credit must go to them for pushing right until the end.
Today, Dias has sent a message on Instagram following last night’s game. It is quite a long message, and he talks about the togetherness of the team.
He said: “Saw yesterday what we need to win. My father (always benefactor) and Chico Conceição’s father (Sergio Conceição) celebrating together their children and our country. It was the highlight of the night for me.
“If you needed a demonstration of how together we have to stand to win, here it is! It was just the first game of the walk, the victory smiled on us but we continued to grow as a team during the competition! Come on Portugal.”
Dias is such a great leader
It wasn’t pretty from Portugal. But they got the job done and will now hope to secure their place in the knockout stages with another win over Turkey.
It is good to see Dias showing the leadership City fans see on a weekly basis.
You just know that he will not have been happy with the performance behind closed doors. But it is always important to portray a strong message publicly, which is what he has done here.
Portugal need to improve considerably if they are to win Euro 2024. They have an incredibly strong squad packed with quality players.
At least Dias fared quite well and Portugal did look fairly strong defensively aside from the goal. His form could be very key to them going deep.