Roberto Martinez’s men cruised past Vincenzo Montella’s Turkey at the Westfalenstadion, confirming Portugal’s qualification from Group F.
Bernardo Silva opened the scoring midway through the first half with a cultured finish which gave Altay Bayindir no chance in the Turkey goal.
The second goal was comical from a defensive perspective, as Samet Akaydin failed to look back at his goalkeeper’s position and rolled it past Bayindir into his own net.
From that point on, the contest was played at walking pace before Portugal added a third when Cristiano Ronaldo was played in behind the defence before unselfishly squaring the ball for Bruno Fernandes who slotted into the empty net.
Here are the key lessons that onlookers took away from the match.
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The Seleção have the perfect blend of attack and defence
There is a fantastic balance to this Portugal team, with specific players slotting into the system well and complementing each other.
As a defensive unit, the two centre-backs act as warriors; Pepe with his experience and Ruben Dias’ obvious class.
The full-backs fly forward, with Joao Cancelo and Nuno Mendes contributing heavily to the attacking side of the game.
Creativity comes from all over the pitch, while Joao Palhinha offers a solid level of protection as the full-backs travel up the flanks.
As it stands, it looks like Martinez has the perfect blend of players for success, but it remains to be seen whether he succeed with this set of talented players compared to his record at major tournaments with Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’, where his teams always seemed to flatter to deceive.
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Veterans still key for Portugal
With 80 years of age between the two, Pepe and Ronaldo are still crucial cogs in the Portuguese team, despite the young talents around the side.
Pepe’s performance was faultless, completing 97% of passes and making seven clearances - he did not put a foot wrong all afternoon.
While the 41-year-old’s experience is vital at the back, Ronaldo’s know-how in the front line is also crucial, helping to mould everyone together.
The Al-Nassr man capitalised on sloppiness from the Turkish backline to set up the third goal that sealed the victory for his nation.
If Portugal do repeat their Euro 2016 heroics and lift the trophy on July 14, then these two legends of Portuguese football will have a big role to play.
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Turkey need to be more disciplined at the back
Despite the heavy defeat, Turkey still have a high chance of qualification after their opening game victory over Georgia.
Still, in order to progress further, Montella’s men must improve their discipline and concentration in defence, after it was their undoing for the final two Portuguese goals.
The nature of Akaydin's own goal highlights a lack of concentration and communication.
The backpass was careless, and Bayindir should have let his defender know where he was and where he wanted to collect the ball.
It will be seen as a comical moment for the rest of Europe, but it was completely avoidable.
For the third goal, Zeki Celik was sleeping at full-back and ended up some distance behind the rest of the defensive line.
This played Ronaldo onside, leaving him with a simple task to slot Fernandes in to make it three.
Montella will expect a serious improvement in defensive areas ahead of a crucial clash with Czechia, in which his team will qualify for the Round of 16 if they avoid defeat.
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Stadium security must improve
In the latter stages of the game, a young fan ran on the pitch to try and grab a picture with Ronaldo.
The first incident was harmless, but it started a chain of events which highlighted an issue inside the Westfalenstadion which meant fans ran on the pitch on several occasions.
By the end, it became ridiculous, with the players becoming visibly annoyed as more fans ran on during the final ten minutes and after the final whistle.
Stadium security is key and must improve as Euro 2024 continues, as a repeat of the events must not occur.
