Turkey 0-3 Portugal: Portugal coast into last 16 with comfortable win

Bernardo Silva's first goal in a major tournament, a calamitous own goal by Samet Akaydin, and a Bruno Fernandes tap-in gave Portugal a comfortable 3-0 win over Turkey on Saturday, ensuring qualification for the round of 16 as Group F winners.

Silva put Portugal ahead in the 21st minute, rifling home after Nuno Mendes' cross deflected nicely into his path, before Akaydin failed to look and passed the ball past onrushing keeper Altay Bayindir seven minutes later.

Fernandes effectively ended the game after 56 minutes, when Cristiano Ronaldo, who could have become the oldest goalscorer in European Championship history, passed the ball to his former Manchester United teammate to tap in.

The victory secures Portugal's progress, while Turkey must avoid defeat on Wednesday against the Czech Republic, who drew 1-1 with Georgia earlier on Saturday, to ensure qualification for the knockout rounds.

"In general, I don't think we played a bad game," Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella told Turkish TV. "We were closer to scoring a goal in the first 20 minutes. Against these types of opponents, if you don't find a goal in the first minutes everything becomes harder."

Portugal started quickly and were unaffected by Turkey's deafening whistles when in possession, with Ronaldo forcing a simple save from Bayindir inside two minutes.

Turkey, who had lost all three of their previous European Championship games against Portugal without scoring, shifted to a more defensive stance after giving up multiple chances to tournament debutants Georgia in their first match.

They frequently played from the back, and the gamble almost paid off after 20 minutes, but 41-year-old defender Pepe's last-man challenge prevented Orkun Kokcu from breaking through.

Portugal scored shortly after with a quick break down the left, when Mendes played a dangerous ball across goal, which Silva converted for his first major tournament goal in his 15th game of either the World Cup or the European Championship.

A defensive blunder doubled their advantage when Bayindir, who replaced Mert Gunok, wandered out of his goal to collect a misplaced pass from Joao Cancelo to Ronaldo.

However, as Ronaldo and Cancelo argued, Akaydin played a no-look backpass that rolled past Bayindir in slow motion and avoided Zeki Celik's desperate slide to cross the line.

Kerem Akturkoglu forced a great save from Diogo Costa almost immediately after, but Turkey had very few chances.

The second half began slowly until substitute Ruben Neves played a long pass over the top to Ronaldo, who had the goal at his disposal.

Instead, Portugal's captain laid the ball on a plate for Fernandes to score the simplest of goals, giving Ronaldo the most European Championship assists in addition to his tournament goals and appearance records.

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez described Ronaldo's decision to assist rather than score as "a pure moment of Portugese football".

"That's an example that should be shown in every academy," he added.

The game petered out even after Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella introduced teenage star Arda Guler, who had scored the game-winning goal in Turkey's first game but started on the bench due to fitness concerns.

Turkey pressed late for a goal that would not have changed the outcome but would have increased their goal difference, which could be critical if they lose to the Czech Republic and must qualify from third place.

However, the end of the match was marred by several pitch invaders, all of whom made a beeline for a selfie with Ronaldo, who appeared to pose for a picture with the first but became increasingly frustrated with game interruptions.

SportsLigue