Portugal will begin their Euro 2024 campaign when they take on Czech Republic on Tuesday evening. But Roberto Martinez’s team saw their preparations descend into chaos on Friday as goalkeeper Jose Sa decided to rugby tackle a fan during an open training session.
Portugal are among the favourites to win Euro 2024 after being drawn in Group F alongside Czech Republic, Turkey and Georgia.
And ahead of their opening clash, the team invited fans to watch them train at their tournament base in Westphalia.
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes were put through their paces in north west Germany. But some fans allowed the excitement to get the better of them as they rushed onto the training pitch.
A whole host of officials attempted to chase the fans and remove them from the pitch to enable the players to continue with their session.
And as one Portugal fan tried to dodge his way around the staff, Sa raced 50 yards before rugby tackling the intruder towards the sidelines.
A total of 6,000 free tickets were given out ahead of the training session as Portugal looked to connect with their fanbase just hours before the Euro 2024 opener between Scotland and hosts Germany.
According to Reuters, the tickets were snapped up in a few minutes. And some of the tickets were then being advertised for sale priced at £675 on the German kleinanzeigen small ads website. A crowd of 8,000 people then turned up for the event, according to The Irish Sun.
Some of those in attendance would have turned up solely to see Ronaldo, who is the record international goalscorer after banging in 128 goals for his country throughout his illustrious career.
And ahead of the tournament, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player told the UEFA website: “The Portuguese fans are always crucial, just as those who will be watching us on TV, because their energy will be felt in Germany.
“I want them to continue what they have always done – support the national team and the players. As players, we feel that support on the pitch and, together, we will be even stronger.
“I firmly believe that this team will bring a lot of joy to the Portuguese fans, beginning with this Euro [tournament]. However, in my opinion the best generation of players are always those who win [trophies]. I hope this national team will win because it’s an incredibly talented squad.”
