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Iceland pulls off surprising tie against Portugal

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Following Hungary’s impressive win against Austria to open Group F play, the group’s other match provided a similar shock.

Iceland pulled out a 1-1 tie against Portugal on Tuesday, after Birkir Bjarnason’s second-half equalizer stunned Cristiano Ronaldo and company.

The result for Iceland was certainly ideal, as the European nation kicked off their first major competition in the team’s history.

Fenerbahce attacker Nani put the Portuguese out in front after 31 minutes, when Andre Gomes found the speedy winger alone in the penalty area.

Nani had been denied 10 minutes earlier, when Ronaldo found his former Manchester United teammate open in front of net. Goalkeeper Hannes Thór Halldórsson made himself big though, and kept the match scoreless to that point.

Going into halftime down a goal, Iceland needed a spark, and it came just six minutes after the break.

Bjarnason became the first Icelandic player to score at the European Championships, after he found space to volley home Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s cross from the right wing.

The result sees both Portugal and Iceland level on a point and tied for second in Group F. Iceland will meet group leaders Hungary on June 18, while Portugal faces Austria that same day.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Euro 2016 has already seen several upsets, but Tuesday’s result brought the tournament to whole new level of special after Birkir Bjarnason‘s goal.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Very few expected Iceland to contend in this match, however, Birkir Bjarnason’s finish ensured the team would leave their Group F opener with a point.

MATCH TO FORGET

Cristiano Ronaldo has received great criticism for not performing up to par at major tournaments throughout his career, and Tuesday’s draw will likely feel like a loss for he and his Portuguese teammates. While the Real Madrid attacker posted 10 shots on the afternoon, only one landed on target.

Comments

  1. People like to talk about England under performing but nobody is as bad as Portugal. What a useless collection of talent.

    Reply

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