On Saturday, Portugal can secure passage to the last 16 of Euro 2024 in Germany if they beat Turkey, who like Portugal also won on their debut and could also qualify.
Dortmund host Group F leaders and the national team will face an opponent with a good history in the tournament, in what will be the fourth meeting between the two countries in the tournament.
After defeating the Czech Republic 2-1 in Leipzig in the first round, the new triumph leaves Portugal already qualified for the round of 16, at worst as one of the top four third-placed teams.
With a win, Portugal could even secure top spot in the group if the Czech Republic wins or draws Georgia in the match to be played hours earlier in Hamburg.
If this scenario is confirmed, Portugal will soon know that it will play the round of 16 in Frankfurt on July 1 against the third-placed team from Groups A, B or C.
In eight European matches, Portugal have always qualified for the knockout stages.
In their three matches with Turkey in European competition, Portugal won 1-0 at Euro 1996 and 2-0 at Euro 2008, both in the group stage, and at Euro 2000 they also won 2-0, but in ” quarters”, thanks to Nuno Gomes’ encore.
In their debut match, Turkey, led by Italian Vincenzo Montella, beat Georgia 3-1, with the highlight coming from young 19-year-old Arda Guler. The Real Madrid winger was a standout figure in that match, scoring a great goal and posing a major threat for Portugal.
Benfica’s Orkun Kökçu also started in that match.
The Turkey-Portugal match is scheduled for Saturday in Dortmund and starts at 18:00 local time (17:00 Lisbon time).