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Ronaldo: We can go all the way

11/06/2008

Cristiano Ronaldo believes Portugal can emerge victorious in Euro 2008 if they can maintain the level of performance shown in their 3-1 victory over the Czech Republic.

The Manchester United winger scored one goal and set up another as Luiz Felipe Scolari's men edged towards a quarter-final place, which was later confirmed by Turkey's dramatic late win over co-hosts Switzerland.

Ronaldo, whose future at Old Trafford has been the subject of intense speculation amidst ongoing interest from Real Madrid, was delighted with his side's win.

He said: "Our main aim was to get to the next phase. I'm very happy to have helped my team-mates to win.

"We played well in the first match and again in this match. If we carry on like this, we have a good chance."

Barcelona midfielder Deco opened the scoring for the 2004 runners-up in the eighth minute, bundling the ball past keeper Petr Cech at the second attempt.

But the lead lasted barely nine minutes, as former Rangers wide man Libor Sionko headed home from a corner.

There was little between the sides until Ronaldo stamped his mark on proceedings, finishing clinically from the edge of the area from Deco's clever cut-back.

Then, as the Czechs pressed for an equaliser late on, Ronaldo sprung the offside trap from a long pass and squared to give Ricardo Quaresma a simple tap-in to complete the win.

Ronaldo added: "We know how to sacrifice everything for the good of the team. We have now got a big chance but must respect our opponents because they too have a mission - they want to win, as we do."