If Portugal beat Croatia on Saturday (June 25) they would face either Switzerland or Poland in a quarter-final in Marseille on June 30.
Advertisement
Ronaldo scored two goals and provided the assist for Nani’s strike against Hungary, helping Portugal qualify for the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams.
Portugal seemed set for a meeting with old foes England, bringing back memories of penalty shootout wins for Ronaldo’s men in Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006.
He said in the statement: “We played a good match, it was a little insane – Hungary scored and then Portugal scored – and it was very hot”.
Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday hit a double to become the first player to score in four different European Championships and, in the process, rescued Portugal from defeat in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Hungary that secured their last-16 place in the prestigious tournament. We’ve beaten big nations on the way here and got results against some of the biggest nations in the world like Portugal, Holland, Czech Republic and Turkey.
That capped a rollicking day for Ronaldo, who lost his composure hours before the match when he responded to a TV reporter’s question by grabbing his microphone and apparently tossing it into a nearby lake.
“The most important thing is that we are through to the knockout stage”.
The 53-year-old muscleman took particular delight in Arnor Ingvi Traustason’s late victor for Iceland against Austria on Wednesday, which ensured they would finish second in Group F ahead of Ronaldo’s Portugal.
The tournament minnows booked their spot in the round of 16 with a last-gasp 2-1 win over Austria in Paris.
“I think over the three matches we played more than enough to finish in first place”, said Santos.
“We have to improve a lot on the ball and show what we did in the qualifiers, when we had possession a lot more”.
“We made five changes to the team but I am not surprised by the performance or the result, I have a squad of 23 players in which everyone can do a good job”.
Bjarnason says the fact they play Monday means they have a “few days to come down to do earth” once they have celebrated with their compatriots.
Advertisement
“We respect them, but we know our strength and we’ll look them in the eye when we face them”.
