Ronaldo’s brace powers Portugal past Hungary

Defending champion begins with 3-0 win; misfiring Spain held 0-0 by Sweden

June 16, 2021 12:52 am | Updated 07:50 am IST - BUDAPEST

On a high: Ronaldo overtook Platini to become the highest scorer in Euro history.

On a high: Ronaldo overtook Platini to become the highest scorer in Euro history.

Portugal began the defence of its title at Euro 2020 with a 3-0 victory over Hungary on Tuesday as Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice to become the all-time leading scorer in European Championship history.

Raphael Guerreiro's deflected shot broke Hungary's resistance on 84 minutes and Ronaldo smashed home a penalty before he added a third in stoppage time.

Ronaldo, the first player to appear at five different Euros, has now scored 11 goals in the tournament, surpassing the record of nine set by France's Michel Platini.

Poor finishing

Spain tried to pass Sweden into oblivion in its 2020 opener on Monday but had to settle for a 0-0 draw as it was let down by poor finishing and might have even lost had it not been for a glaring miss by opposing striker Marcus Berg. Alvaro Morata spurned Spain’s best opportunity in a dominant first half display from Luis Enrique’s side on a scorching evening at Seville’s La Cartuja stadium in Group E when he missed the target from inside the area after a defensive slip.

But Sweden’s Berg was equally wasteful when he somehow missed the target after a sensational piece of skill and cross from fellow forward Alexander Isak, who had manoeuvred his way past four Spain defenders to put the chance on a plate.

Spain ran out of steam in the second half before rallying again late on but still failed to beat Sweden keeper Robin Olsen, who thwarted substitute Gerard Moreno in stoppage time.

The lively Dani Olmo created three promising chances in the first half but the best chance fell to Morata, who failed to cash in on a lapse of concentration by Sweden’s Marcus Danielson but slotted wide of goal with only Olsen to beat.

The results: Group E: Spain 0 drew with Sweden 0.

Group F: Hungary 0 lost to Portugal 3 (Guerreiro 84, Ronaldo 87-pen, 90+2) .

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