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Tuesday 14 June 2016

Portugal held by Iceland

Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by Iceland after Nani's opener in the 31st minute was cancelled out by Birkir Bjarnason in the 50th minute.

The action started as early as the 2nd minute when Gylfi Sigurdsson's shot from the left was saved by Rui Patricio. In the 17th minute, Vieirinha cut inside from the right and unleashed a left-footed shot that was saved by Hannes Þór Halldórsson. Two minutes later, Halldórsson denied Portugal another chance when he saved a Nani header which was provided by Cristiano Ronaldo from the left.

Portugal had another chamce in the 22nd minute when Ronaldo's header from a Nani cross went wide. Ronaldo missed another oppurtunity when he failed to latch onto a Pepe long-ball in the 25th minute.

Portugal finally broke the deadlock in the 31st minute when Andre Gomes' low cross found Nani, who slotted the ball on the near post into the net.

Portugal picked up where they left off in the second half when Ronaldo's volley flew wide off the target in the first minute of the second half.

The game took a turn in the 50th minute when Jóhann Berg
Guðmundsson's cross found an unmarked Bjarnason, who volleyed the ball into the net.

Portugal had a chance in the 70th minute when Raphael Guerreiro's free-kick was flicked on by Nani, who sent the ball wide. Ronaldo had an opening in the 72nd minute but his shot went wide. In the 77th minute, substitute Ricardo Quaresma's shot from a tight angle was saved by Halldórsson.

Portugal kept pushing for a winning goal in the last ten minutes and they came close in the 81st minute when Pepe's header from a Quaresma corner went over the bar. Ronaldo had another chance to score after being picked up by Nani from the wing but he sent his header straight into Halldórsson's hands.

A minute later, Iceland nearly pulled a shocker when Sigurdsson unleashed a shot that was well saved by Patricio. Iceland managed to hold on until the final whistle, earning them their first in the European Championships.

Another Group F result: Austria 0-2 Hungary


Mogomotsi Phalatse

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