Why was Rafael Leao suspended from the Portugal squad against Turkey?
The winger received his second booking from as many games…
Portugal forward Rafael Leao is suspended from their third and final group fixture at the UEFA Euro 2024 against Georgia. The AC Milan star was booked for diving for the second game running and will hence now serve a one-game suspension.
Against the Czech Republic in their opening game, Leao went into the books for a dive inside the box, and repeated the trick again today for a second yellow. He will now have to sit out of their clash with Georgia at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday, as Leao could next feature only in the round of 16.
Following a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Czechs in the first group match, the Selecao upped the ante here and secured a comprehensive victory over the Crescent-Stars, who remained goalless against them at the Euros even after four attempts.
But having beaten Georgia earlier this week, Turkey are still within a chance of reaching the knockout stages, as they are currently second with three points, two ahead of the Czech Republic, and a draw in their final game would be enough to confirm their place in the last-16.
Ronaldo makes selfless assist
In another news from Portugal’s clash today, Cristiano Ronaldo made a selfless assist for Bruno Fernandes. The 39-year-old snuck in behind Turkey’s defense to connect with an incoming cross and only had the goalkeeper, Altay Bayındır to beat. Instead, he squared it for Fernandes, who was unmarked inside the box, and the Manchester United star tapped it home for 3-0. Meanwhile, the assist brought Ronaldo level with Czech legend Karel Poborský on the top of the assist charts with eight for each.