Portugal 2-1 Czechia: Age has taken the edge off Cristiano Ronaldo’s genius but he fought until the end, writes OLIVER HOLT

Still raging against the dying out of the light, fighting the years with every fiber of his being, seeking immortality with every step, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to play in six European championship finals when he took the field for Portugal against the Czech Republic at the Red Bull Arena.

He won his 208th cap, he basked in the admiration of the supporters who still adore him, he played in charge of a richly talented side who did everything in their power to provide him with what would be his 15th goal of the tournament been.

He threw himself at headers, crashed spectacularly, fired a free kick over a wall and straight into the arms of the Czech keeper and saw a few shots knocked away. He hasn’t let himself down, but he’s no Peter Pan either. He may hate the idea, but age has taken the edge off his genius.

But he fought and he fought and Roberto Martinez held on to his 39-year-old talisman until the bitter end. And just when it looked like victory would not come and Ronaldo’s record 26th appearance in the final would end in a draw, the fairy tale happened.

It didn’t happen for him, but it did happen for his team and this version of Cristiano is now apparently behaving as if that’s enough. He is no longer the inconsistent presence he was at the 2022 World Cup, when he was unable to come to terms with his declining importance to the team.

Portugal had already had a late winner ruled out by VAR, but then Francisco Conceicao, who had only just come off the bench and made his first league appearance for his country, came up with another winner deep into extra time . After all, it wasn’t about the old man. The young man was the hero.

And so the debate over whether Ronaldo is still worthy of his place, the debate that would have raged if this Portuguese team that won every qualifying match had not gotten past the Czechs, will no longer rage. Cristiano is still the king of Europe. Portugal is off to a winning start.

When Portugal’s line-up was read out before the warm-up, Ronaldo’s name was received with a tremendous guttural roar from his fans behind one of the goals and he ran onto the pitch, punching the air and applauding every part of the ground. where the Portuguese supporters were grouped.

As the Portuguese national anthem was sung and the camera lingered on Ronaldo’s face, there was no sign of nerves. He just looked blissfully happy, like a big child barely able to suppress his energy.

There is something inspiring in that. All the wealth he has, all the possessions, all the records, all the fame, all the followers, and yet playing the game is still the thing that elevates him above all else.

When the countdown to kick-off began, Ronaldo could no longer contain his excitement. A few seconds before the referee blew his whistle, he sprinted from the halfway line deep into the Czech half. The referee saw him, but let him go.

The first chance of the match inevitably fell to him. Rafael Leao cut in from the left and curled a cross towards the penalty spot. Ronaldo rose to meet him, but he was slightly behind him and he mistimed his header so it bounced off his shoulder and fell limply to the ground.

There were also a number of crosses curled into the box – from Bernardo Silva, Nuno Mendes and Bruno Fernandes – that a younger man could have at least tried to reach. Ronaldo gave each pass a withering look as it raced past him.

However, Portugal has youth and energy everywhere around Ronaldo. Bernardo Silva’s work rate was astonishing, Nuno Mendes made break after break from the left of the defence, Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes dominated the midfield.

On the pitch, these men now dominate this Portuguese team. Ronaldo may still be the team’s talisman, but he is not the best player. There are now a number of others vying for that title together.

Portugal had more than 70 percent of the ball and almost earned the ball midway through the half when Bruno Fernandes slid a ball across the penalty area and Rafael Leao pounced on it alone in the middle. A touch would have led him inside. He couldn’t quite reach it.

A few minutes later, Ronaldo missed a golden opportunity to give Portugal the lead. He ran through to a brilliant through ball from Bruno Fernandes that beat the entire Czech defense, but when he hit his shot on the turn, Czech goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek came into action for the first time and blocked it. Ronaldo seemed completely dejected.

Before half-time he created one last chance for himself, receiving the ball with his back to goal and spinning sharply, creating space for a fierce shot that Stanek dived to punch away with both hands.

Ronaldo came close again ten minutes after the break when he rose to meet Ruben Dias’ cross ten yards out and fired his header towards goal. But Czech captain Tomas Soucek arrived just in time and Ronaldo’s header landed on Soucek’s head for a corner.

Ronaldo bent a free kick over the wall, but it was too central and was comfortably saved by Stanek. A few minutes later, Bernardo Silva crossed when he should have shot. Portugal were looking for a moment of sharp quality but couldn’t find it.

However, the Czechs could. Just over an hour had passed when Portugal failed to clear an opponent’s corner and the ball was played back to Lukas Provod, who was waiting on the edge of the area.

Provod curled the ball beautifully away from Diogo Costa in the Portuguese goal and the ball flew just inside the post. The Czech players celebrated with their fans behind that goal. The Portuguese players began gesticulating at each other in a riot of accusations.

The lead lasted only seven minutes. Portugal turned a cross deep to the back post, where Nuno Mendes rose to head the ball downwards. Stanek tried to smother it, but it bounced out of his hands, hit Robin Hranac on the shin and bounced into the net.

Substitute Diogo Jota had a goal disallowed by VAR for offside, but then the Czechs failed to clear Pedro Neto’s cross and Conceicao forced the ball home to get Portugal and Ronaldo over the line.