Afternoon everyone and welcome to live coverage of this tussle between Group A's heavyweights. The teams are already in:
Czech Republic
Cech, Grygera, Ujfalusi, Rozehnal, Jankulovski, Galasek, Sionko, Matejovsky, Polak, Plasil, Baros.
Subs: Blazek, Zitka, Kovac, Fenin, Koller, Sverkos, Vlcek, Pospech, Kadlec, Jarolim, Sivok, Skacel.
Portugal
Ricardo, Bosingwa, Pepe, Carvalho, Ferreira, Petit, Joao Moutinho, Ronaldo, Deco, Simao, Nuno Gomes.
Subs: Quim, Rui Patricio, Bruno Alves, Fernando Meira, Raul Meireles,
Hugo Almeida, Miguel, Jorge Ribeiro, Quaresma, Veloso, Nani, Postiga.
Referee: Kyros Vassaras (Greece)
So Milan Baros replaces Jan Koller - embarrassingly ineffective against the Swiss, this is surely a tournament too far for him - for the Czechs. Still no place, though, for Eintracht Frankfurt's Martin Fenin, who has impressed in the Bundesliga this season.
Mysterious bracket dept. "I guess what Fergie has been saying is true," writes Marie Meyer. "Ronaldo has had his head turned by Real Madrid - so much so he can't even look in the right corner." Look, finding a picture of him looking vaguely upwards in a confused manner was tough enough.
Anthem watch: Portugal: big brass, a few cymbals and plenty of oomph (particularly from Nuno Gomes). Czech Rep: much slower and very little singing from the squad. The Iberians win that one hands down.
Peep! And we are off.
2 min: Tomas Galasek nips the ball away from Ronaldo as the Manchester Utd man starts to get out the stepovers. A cagey, shapeless start to proceedings.
4 min: Sionko cuts inside Ferreira (playing left-back this evening) and attempts to curl a shot at goal. It's blocked. Ronaldo returns the favour at the other end after a quick break.
5 min: If you get bored at any point (as if!) why not head over to the blog and read all about Barney Ronay's meeting with Haddaway. Yes, that Haddaway. Failing that, there's always the Fiver to keep you entertained.
GOAL! Czech Rep 0-1 Portugal (Deco 8) Ronaldo dances through the centre of the Czech back four, Cech makes a superb stop. The ball trickles to the feet of Deco, Cech again denies Portugal, but the ball drops back to the feet of the little midfielder, who bundles the ball past Jankulovski on the line.
11 min: "I presume you're not being paid by the word – that preamble was ridiculously short," moans Aidan O'Keefe. "I've two more hours here trying to sort the Irish fishing industry so get cracking with the quips …" In my defence, Aidan, it's all been a bit last-minute today. I'm still trying to get to grips with who's who on the pitch.
13 min: As Stuart Lawson points out, the Guardian's David Pleat, moonlighting in his ITV role, keeps referring to the Czechs as Czechoslovakia. His tactical analysis may be unsurpassed, but perhaps he does need to work on his geo-political knowledge of the last 15 years or so.
15 min: Petit has an ambitious punt at goal. Cech yawns, lights his pipe, glances at his crossword, then calmly picks the ball up.
16 min: Sionko again bursts away down the left. Corner to the Czechs ...
GOAL! Czech Republic 1-1 Portugal (Sionko 17) ... swung in Plasil and Sionko throws himself at the ball on the six yard line, powering a header past Ricardo. Game on.
19 min: "What a missed oportunity that goal was," writes Robin Hazlehurst in reference to Portugal's opener. "Both Ronaldo and Deco could easily have fallen over in the box and claimed a penalty but instead they chose to keep going and score. Platini will be most disappointed."
21 min: Reading's Marek Matejovsky has impressed early on, lying deep in the Czech midfield and breaking up Portugal's play. Petit has another wild swing at goal, this one zips well wide.
22 min: Polak booked for - shock, horror - making a tackle. Bah - you can't slide in at all these days.
24 min: Terrific effort from Deco, drifting inside from the left and spanking one narrowly wide. Lovely stuff.
25 min: Ronaldo stings Cech's hands with a drive from the edge of the area. Portugal are well on top here, despite the blow of that equaliser.
28 min: Thanks to everyone who's sent in a 'flipped' Ronaldo pic that enables him to look in the right direction for bracket-pondering purposes, but I'm afraid it would contravene Guardian policy if I used them. No touching up allowed here - down that route lies left-handed orchestras.
29 min: Ricardo flaps at a corner, but Sionko fails to take advantage.
31 min: Boswinga booked for a lunge on Galasek. Somebody's clearly had a word with our Pleaty - he's now referring to the Republic of Czechoslovakia, which is an improvement of sorts.
33 min: Could I just point out that any jokes about Quim will not be published in this MBM, OK? We're not going to go there. Feisty stuff in Geneva, the ref is only hanging on to this by a thread.
35 min: A remarkable run from Baros almost creates a chance for the Czechs, but, after sprinting half the length of the pitch, he's far too tired to pick out any of his team-mates.
38 min: Baros spins away from Carvalho to win a free-kick, but Grygera's poor cross ends any attacking opportunity. A better delivery in the final third and the Czechs might have the lead here.
40 min: "Can you not move the brackets to the other side?" asks Mark Fritzel. That's just the problem, Mark, we don't know what they are or where they've come from. Our top tech bods are on the case, but at the moment they're a mystery. Corner to Portugal ...
41 min: ... a beautifully worked little number, which earns the Portuguese another corner. Carvalho's heavy touch then lets him down.
42 min: Decent save from Cech as Ronaldo hammers a shot at goal from distance. The Chelsea-bound Boswinga, who has impressed thus far, then floats a cross which the keeper claims. "Bosingwa makes defending look fun, which is kind of like making filing your taxes look sexy," writes an equally-impressed Richard Whittall.
44 min: Three men down! Ronaldo hits the turf after being glanced in the chops by Ulfalusi, and Ferreira and Sionko crumble near the half-way line after a challenge between the two. Mr Vassaras needs to get a bit of a grip on this one.
45 min: Free-kick to Portugal in a dangerous position ...
45+1 min: Ronaldo clips it and Cech fields the ball down at his ankles. And that's half-time - a rambunctious 45 minutes all told.
Half-time Soulmates zone: "I must ask Marie Meyer if she is the very same MM whose lovely harbourside flat in Bristol once had a fridge that appeared to contain bottles of champagne, bottles of Kronenbourg. And nothing else." writes Mike Hatcher. "Well?"
Half-time all-hail-the-mysterious-bracket news: "Maybe we could read about the history of the mighty bracket," writes Amit Slaich. "My hypothesis being that by reading about it, we could come to appreciate its power, its significance and its oh-so-subtle beauty." Hmm.
Half-time geo-political round-up: "Re: Czechoslovakia - I think we should go with all the old names for the tournament," writes Alvin Williams. "Both Portugal and Spain should be referred to as "The Moorish Kingdom of Al-Andalus."
Brackets - The Truth: "I am the tech bod who fixed the brackets problem," writes guardian.co.uk's own Ben Parker. "Our main man Gordon has tested that the brackets are now gone. Please tell Ronaldo and the fans that they will be gone as of tomorrow. BTW if there are any other random characters the fans would like to see this can be arranged." I for one will miss their benevolent, smiling gaze over MBMs. Perhaps a couple of {} can be lined up as replacements? I mean, what's the story with those?
Soulmates update: "Not exactly correct - I'm pretty sure there were also a few bottles of nail polish," writes Marie Meyer. "But it has all changed now that I'm in America. California whites and Corona."
Peep No2: And we're off once more.
46 min: "Every time I see Karel Bruckner, I can't help thinking of radical philosopher Herbert Marcuse." Er, me to, Rich Askew. "Could they be one and the same man? Could Marcuse have traded polymorphous peversity in the ivory towers for a radical role as football manager?" Possibly. Anyhow, corner to Portugal ...
47 min: ... odd clearance from Fiorentin hardman Ujfalusi, but it just about does the job.
48 min: A super pass from Matejovsky has Sionko clear down the right, but his pull-back fails to find Plasil or Baros - a real wasted opportunity. Baros shakes the net in fury, giving us an uncomfortable sea-sickness inducing wobbly picture from the 'netcam'.
52 min: "Has anyone else noticed that those brackets look like a small bum, mooning everything you Guardian hacks produce?" It has been noted, Daniel Lett. Slow, slow, quick, quick build-up from Portugal, with a simply gorgeous little reverse pass from Deco allowing Nuno Gomes to poke a shot at goal. Cech holds, though.
55 min: Rozehnal shows all the skills learned in a season at St James' Park, inexplicably allowing the ball to run across him and letting Nuno Gomes in behind. The defender recovers, though, and Portugal waste the corner.
57 min: Jan Koller (the poor man's Carsten Jancker?) is warming up, with Baros likely to make way.
59 min: Simao tests check with a shot inside the box, but the big Chelsea keeper is equal to it. "Did anyone else think it spectacularly insensitive for the ITV commentary team to be laughing and joking about Baros' speeding offences given the events of the weekend?" asks Strathmore Barker. Yes, I can safely say they did.
61 min: Sionko forces another corner ...
62 min: ... Ujfalusi nods on and it just evades the onrushing Baros and Sionko and slides just wide of the post.
GOAL! Czech Republic 1-2 Portugal (Ronaldo 63): A cracking strike too. A quick free-kick, an instant pass from Deco and a first-time shot from Ronaldo. Cech has no chance.
64 min: This is breathless stuff. Free-kick to the Czechs ...
65 min: ... Jankulovksi floats it in, Ricardo flaps (again) and Grygera's volley is charged down. Er, corner to Portugal ...
66 min: ... another well-worked short one, but Pepe is offside from the cross.
68 min: Stanislav Vlcek has been brought off the bench to instill some attacking vigour into the Czechs. "When Rich Askew talks about Marcuse, does he mean the new manager of Man City?" wonders Adam Roberts.
70 min:Nearly an equaliser as Baros and Vlcek almost get on the end of Plasil's nod across the box.
73 min: Koller (the Czech Wayne Allison?) finally trundles on, with Galasek jogging off. Meira replaces Moutinho for Portugal.
75min: Deco and Simao argue like a couple of 11-year-olds over a free-kick. Simao wins and plants his set-piece into the wall. Gubbins.
77 min: Plasil finds Baros with a chipped, inswinging pass. The Portsmouth man confidently plants his header yards wide of the goal. He's looked yesterday's man this evening.
79 min: Hugo Almeida replaces the Portugal captain Nuno Gomes. I'm interested to see how he fares - Gomes has been his usual 7/10 today, but to win this thing they may need a striker who offers a sharper threat in the box.
81 min: Good news for poorly-picked fantasy football teams everywhere as Quaresma makes an appearance.
83 min: Sionko should have equalised. A free header, six yards out, but he gives Ricardo a chance when he should have had none. Tipped over and Portugal scramble the corner away.
85 min: Jankulovski's pass sells Sionko short with the Czechs well placed.
88 min: You've got a free-kick 40 yards from goal. You've got 6"7' Koller and your centre-halves in the box. So what do you do? Play it short? That's what the Czechs do, and it's a waste of time.
89 min: Moments later, from a free-kick in exactly the same spot is curled into the box and Baros, Koller and Sionko are all bearing down on Ricardo, who punches nervously. Three minutes added on - the Czechs need to get it in the mixer.
GOAL! Czech Republic 1-3 Portugal (Quaresma 90): Another quick free-kick catches the Czechs out. Deco puts Ronaldo in the clear and he unselfishly squares for Quaresma to wrap things up. Harsh on the Czechs, this.
Peep No3! That's it. Two pieces of quick-thinking from dead balls, two moments of slumbering in the Czech backline and it's game over. Have your say over at the sportblog where Duncan Castles will analysing the action. And stick around for Tom Lutz's coverage of the Switzerland v Turkey grudge match. That's it from me. Cheerio.
from http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/
