Euro 2024: Why was Portugal’s goal ruled off-side with Cristiano Ronaldo at the centre of it?

Portugal was denied a leading goal against Czechia late in the second half when Diogo Jota’s goal was overruled in their Euro 2024 opener, at the Leipzig Stadium on Tuesday.

In the 87th minute, Ronaldo headed the ball down to set up Jota in front of the box, who made no mistake to slot it into the net. With only three minutes of regulation time left, the Liverpool forward celebrated like it was a winner but his joy was cut short by the referee, who immediately had a chat with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Using semi-automated technology, the VAR concluded that Ronaldo was slightly off-side when the ball was crossed to him in the box. And that, a foul in the build-up, mandated the referee to rule the goal out.

Portugal is drawn in Group F with Czechia (also known as Czech Republic), Turkey and debutant Georgia, and plays the Turks next, three days later.

Meanwhile, Turkey opened its Euro 2024 campaign with a commanding 3-1 win over Georgia, which included a stunner by Real Madrid youngster Arda Guler.