Portugal defeated Türkiye 3-0 last night in Dortmund thanks to goals by Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and a howler of an own goal.

Some 16 years after making his tournament debut for Portugal against the same opponent, Pepe composed an extraordinary defensive masterpiece while Cristiano Ronaldo broke the all-time record for assists at the European Championship.

Hard luck struck again for Rafael Leão, however, as the young forward was booked for simulation and is suspended for the match against Georgia.

João Palhinha also saw his match cut short at halftime, and Rúben Neves showed why he was such an important player for Saudi champions, Al Hilal.

The Seleção put down a marker at Euro 2024 with a convincing 3-0 victory against Türkiye at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund this evening.

Roberto Martínez admitted he will make changes for Portugal’s final group game, having already guaranteed top spot, while all the players were keen to emphasise the importance of keeping the winning start going.

Meanwhile Benfica’s Turkish midfielder Orkun Kökçü was impressed with Portugal, going as far as to suggest they are genuine contenders to win the competition. PortuGOAL rounds up the match reaction. 

• Euro 2024

Portugal booked an early ticket into the Euro 2024 Round of 16 after a convincing 3-0 win against Turkey at Westfalenstadion.

The Seleção survived an early scare in Dortmund before taking the lead in 21st minute. The goal came through Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leão, Mendes’ cross falling for Bernardo Silva who made no mistake.

The second goal came six minutes later after a gift from the Turkish backline, Samet Akaydin’s misplaced backpass evading Altay Bayindir and rolling over the line.

The result was beyond doubt in the 55th minute when Cristiano Ronaldo beat the offside trap, raced onto Rúben Neves’ pass and put the ball on a plate for Bruno Fernandes.

The result sees the Seleção take top spot in Group F with one game remaining, Georgia their final opponents in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday.

Group F favourites Portugal and Türkiye both won on the opening matchday, and it will be interesting to see how each team approaches their meeting in Dortmund tomorrow.

Like Portugal with Czechia, the Turks had to overcome a well-organised defensive opponent in Georgia, in what was a mixed performance by Vincenzo Montella’s outfit. We take a look at a potentially new type of threat posed by the well-supported Turkish side.