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Portugal affirmed their status as the hot favorite for Euro 2008 by sweeping past Turkey with a comfortable 2-0 victory in Geneva. Four years ago, they came in as runners-up to Greece in their own country but this time, they are more than ready to erase their underdog tag and claim their ascendancy to European dominance.

Cristiano Ronaldo suggested earlier that he may be a shadow of his sterling form which saw him notch 42 goals for Manchester United after a grueling season. Nevertheless, his performance was impressive enough to place a yawning gap between the footballing standards of Turkey and Portugal.

Portugal hit the ground running with an entertaining display in the opening 45 minutes but it was disappointing to see one of the most exciting players in the world relatively muted. Ronaldo did not see much action until the half hour when he burst into life with a trademark run and capped it with a shot that went agonizingly wide.

The Portuguese could have easily pocketed three points by the first half, as early as the 16th minute, central defender Pepe powered a header past Volkan from Simao’s cross, but it was disqualified by the linesman. Eight minutes before the interval, Ronaldo who was stepping into third gear by now, was a heartbeat away from securing the advantage for Portugal as the excellent Turkey keeper Volkan turned his swerving free-kick onto the post.

Four minutes after the break, referee Herbert Fandel waved play-on when Gokhan fouled Simao, and Gomes should have killed the match instead of tapping the loose ball onto the woodwork. It was a matter of time before Turkey was pounded into submission but they miraculously survived yet another Ronaldo led attack. The midfield wizard fired an accurate low shot after Hamit Altintop failed to stop his advance, however, Volkan’s reflexes proved up to the task.

If Ronaldo cannot find the net, at least we should expect Gomes, as the main striker, to settle the differences. However, the latter was in a wasteful mood; when an inviting cross came in from Ronaldo, he aimed an easy header onto the bar. Just as well that it was his final contribution of the game. Nani, a more energetic midfield option, came on to replace him.

In the 61st minute, Pepe finally set the record straight. Surging from defence in a rare moment of enterprise, he slided the opener past Volkan from 12 yards. Turkey were rudely jolted into action and they came out of their sanctuary by launching frantic waves of attacks on Portugal’s defense.

Unfortunately, the Turks could not sustain their pressure for long. Portugal were intent to score a second goal instead of protecting their slim lead and with gaps opening up behind Turkey’s back line, they maintained their fluent passing game and counter-attacked. In the dying seconds, they were rewarded with a second goal as Ronaldo found Joao Moutinho, who set up substitute Raul Meireles for a side-footed finish.

I have to give Turkey credit for staying in the game till the hour mark, a resolute defense was their saving grace, especially when the midfield was overrun and the front line lacked a cutting edge. Although Turkey upped the stakes by fielding another forward, they had only two credible chances to threaten Portugal.

Goalkeeper Ricardo had to be alert to come off his line and deny Tuncay as he tried to connect with Nihat Kahveci’s cross. Substitute Emre wasted Turkey’s best chance with nine minutes left, heading Nihat’s corner wide when unmarked only eight yards out.

Overall, I will say this match is the appropriate build-up for Portugal’s momentum. Turkey are not world-class opponents but they are famed for an indomitable spirit and Portugal had to exhibit their tactical awareness, patience and creativity to achieve a breakthrough.

At times, there were traces of Brazilian samba football in the way Portugal took the Turks apart. Cristiano Ronaldo has not hit top gear yet but there is no doubt of his instrumental role for the team. Despite looking jaded, he was the oasis of innovation, almost every attack flowed through his legs and he was able to strike from every position.

Scolari implemented his usual 4-2-3-1 formation, fronted by captain and striker, Nuno Gomes. I am not sure if Scolari should persist with Gomes in future matches, his inability to capitalize on easy chances is a concern, especially against tight defenses like Italy. I can only say that Portugal are blessed to have Ronaldo who can double up adequately as a clinical striker, else all the beautiful football will go to waste if they make a habit of depending on defenders and midfielders to score the goals.

Portugal’s defense held up pretty well, with Carvalho, Jose Bosingwa and Pepe among the best defenders in Europe. Ricardo was fielded as the keeper instead of Quim as the latter was sent home with a fractured wrist. As for Quaresma, I feel a tinge of regret to see such a precocious talent wasting away on the bench but with Simao contributing effectively, it is a tough fight to get into the first XI.

The commitment of two key characters in the Portugal team, Scolari and Ronaldo, were cast in doubt after being engulfed by transfer speculations, but so far, both had acted professinally and knew where their priorities lie.

Scolari had reiterated on several occasions that he will only decide on his long term future after the the competition. His link with the vacant managerial spot at Chelsea became more apparent, in view of a half-hearted attempt by Peter Kenyon to secure the services of Mark Hughes. The latter was appointed as Manchester City’s gaffer a few days ago.

As for Ronaldo, the soap opera started by Real Madrid is even more incredulous. Is it fair that this transfer saga eclipse the proceedings of such a prestigious competition? The debate was not put to rest even after Ronaldo made a definitive statement of his desires to play for Real Madrid. He then refused to entertain other queries as well as a private meeting with a desperate Alex Ferguson.

It will be interesting to watch the intriguing chemistry of Pepe, a Real Madrid centre-back, and Ronaldo in the rest of the matches. The ball is now in Madrid’s court but it is doubtful that Ferguson will let his prized asset slip through his fingers, certainly not after Ronaldo played such a pivotal role in securing the Premier League and Champions League titles. I will discuss more about this situation in another post.

I believe Portugal have a good chance to go all the way to the semi-finals, after that, a strong element of luck will be needed for them to be crowned as European Champions. There is no guarantee Ronaldo can deliver on such a big stage but it is imperative for his future, judges for the FIFA Player of the Year award may have other candidates in mind when they look at Ronaldo’s barren international honors.

I have watched a pleasant and enjoyable match from Portugal and hopefully, such positive football continues to the main theme in this competition. The suffocating, negative football which Greece exhibited en-route to Euro 2004 finals, is not beneficial for the promotion of this sport and more specifically, this competition.

Meanwhile England, the team we love to hate, are not missed in this competition. In fact, the fans are saved from WAGs controversy, drunken violence and heartaches. As well as money too, since punters had shown an inclination to place bets on England based on romanticism rather than clear-headed thinking. In terms of entertainment and viewerships, I doubt if their absence made a material impact too.

More Euro 2008 reports coming later, till tomorrow.

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