Czech Republic 1-3 Portugal

The Portuguese showed again why they're the class of their group yesterday, coming out on top in a well-paced affair with the Czechs. Cristiano Ronaldo had a hand in all three goals, reinforcing the belief that he's the best player in the world every time he touched the ball. At some points their were five red-clad Czechs chasing no. 7, and the fact that he was able to do so much damage is a testament to his skill. I don't like the guy, but he's amazing to watch. The first goal came via deflection from a Ronaldo run that carved through the Czech penalty box. The second came off Ronaldo's own foot, a perfectly placed rope into the lower left corner from about 18 yards out. It was another example of what this guy can do to a team when he gets even a little space. The third and final goal for the Portuguese saw Ronaldo seize a chance after he caught the opponents napping on defense. His simple square pass left to Ricardo Quaresma created one of the easiest goals you'll ever see at any level, a tap into an open net. Future opponents of Portugal should fall into defensive funks at their own risk; they'll make teams pay for lapses in the back.

Despite the loss, the Czechs exit this game with a chance to advance in Group A. They were outplayed, but showed some nice stretches (winger Libor Sionko was especially good, scoring the only goal for his team off a corner in the first half). I've been very disappointed in Koller and Baros up front so far; Koller hasn't created many chances, and Baros hasn't done much with the ones he's had. This is a team that could easily be 0-2 right now, yet I still give them the edge over Turkey to advance to the quarters. Petr Cech and his water polo helmet continue to be great in goal, and I expect him to play huge against Turkey. The Portuguese, meanwhile, can kick back against the co-hosts and wait to see who comes up second in Group B.