Missed penalty, late own goal matter in Group F

 Cristiano Ronaldo's missed penalty for Portugal against Austria and Iceland defender Birkir Savarsson's late own goal were dramatic in Saturday's matches of EURO 2016.

Ronaldo, making his record 128th Portugal appearance, was pulled down by Austria defender Martin Hinteregger in the 78th minute. But the Real Madrid super star stepped in to hit the ball against the woodwork.

It was the first missed penalty of the tournament after 24 matches. The 31-year-old finally headed home minutes later but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Portugal, who drew with lowly Iceland 1-1 in their first match, collected only two points and were third in the group behind Hungary (4) and Iceland (2). They will face Hungary in the last group match.

It was a one-side match dominated by the Portuguese but a lack of luck and a brilliant show from Austria goalkeeper Robert Almer stopped the star-studded squad winning a full three points.

In the other game of Group F, Iceland defender Saevarsson's own goal in the 88th minute made Hungary level 1-1.

Iceland enjoyed a first half 1-0 lead through penalty, but a heartbreak for them came in the 88th minute when a neat build-up play down the left and a low cross from substitute Nemanja Nikolic which Saevarsson inadvertently turned into his own net.

Hungary had more of the ball throughout, but they failed to craft clearcut openings against a physical Iceland defense. In contrast, Iceland attacks carried more direct menace.

The statistics showed that Hungary dominated the game, the second half in particular, boasting 67 percent of ball possession, 12 attempts and four on target, and completing 341 passes. Iceland only made five attempts, two on target, and completed 90 passes.

The draw kept both sides' hopes alive of a second round berth.

In Bordeaux, the World No. 2 team showed their muscle in the second half. Twenty-three-year-old Lukaku broke the deadlock following a counterattack in the 47th minute. He placed a precise low drive into the bottom-left corner.

After 14 minutes, Zenit midfielder Axel Witsel jumped above Ireland midfielder James McCarthy to head the ball home, and Lukaku struck his second goal from Eden Hazard's pass in the 69th minute to seal the win for Belgium.

Belgium now has three points from its two games in Group E, while Ireland has one point. Belgium will face Sweden next and a draw may seal the side's qualification to the round of 16.

Ireland, meeting Italy next, will have to beat their rivals to stand a chance of advancing.

source : xinhua