Now that the euphoria of qualifying for the quarterfinals as group winners has died down, the Czech Republic will be focusing on one thing when they take on Portugal in the quarterfinals at the National stadium in Warsaw on Thursday - stopping Cristiano Ronaldo.
If there is one person that stands in the way between the Czechs and an improbable run to the semi-finals, it is the Real Madrid man. Ronaldo dispelled all doubts about his capabilities on the international stage with a brilliant performance against the Dutch in a must-win game.
His two goals helped Portugal qualify for the quarterfinals as the runners-up behind Germany and the Portuguese will now start as clear favorites against the Czech Republic.
Expect the Czechs to sit deep and look to score on the counter attack, while Portugal will depend on their central midfielders Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso to find the dangerous wide men Ronaldo and Nani.
Czech coach Michal Bilak is very much aware of the threat Ronaldo and Nani pose. "We know Portugal have dangerous players in midfield and up front, such as Nani, Helder Postiga and Ronaldo," he said.
"We have that in mind, and we'll adjust our tactics to be more defensive.
"We can't play like we did against Russia. We gave them space and they punished us. Ronaldo will punish us if we do the same thing again, and we don't want to repeat the first match."
Czech captain and talisman Tomas Rosicky remains a doubt, and if he were to miss, the Czechs would find it very difficult to control things in midfield. Rosicky said he was hopeful of starting the match. "After training the chance of me starting tomorrow is bigger," the Arsenal playmaker said.
"I have trained today but we will have to see tomorrow if I am able to play. We will decide on how the injury reacts."
The front three of Nani, Postiga and Ronaldo have shown up in the last two matches and will again need to bring their A game against the Czechs, who will rely on Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech to keep the Portgual forwards at bay.
The Portgual defense of Pepe and Bruno Alves can be tested if put under pressure, and the likes of Petr Jiracek, Vaclav Pilar, both with two goals each in the tournament, and Milan Baros will be keen to do just that. Former Liverpool striker Baros has been disappointing so far and will be hoping to break his duck in the quarterfinals.
However, all that aside, the match will be about one man. How much ever soccer might be the ultimate team game, Portugal's chances of qualifying for the semis will hinge on Ronaldo. If the Real Madrid superstar can come up with the goods for the second straight game in a high pressure situation, there is bound to be only one winner.
