Five things we learned from Portugal’s 3-1 win over the Czech Republic in Geneva:

• Man of the Match: Cristiano Ronaldo. This is why C-Ro is the best player in the world, folks. Frustrated for most of the game by a fierce Czech defensive effort, Ronaldo busted his butt, roaming all over the field in search of space before settling mostly in the center. That’s where he finally found the split-second free that he needed to score the game-winner, a fierce one-time blast with his right peg off an exquisite pass from Deco. It was the Deco-Ronaldo connection that worked wonders again on the third Portuguese goal when they caught the Czechs napping on a quick free-kick, Deco hitting a wide-open Ronaldo, who fed Ricardo Quaresma for the all-too-easy finish. (It was a goal that reminded me of the Diego Maradona-to-Claudio Caniggia quick-kick goal that Argentina scored against Nigeria in World Cup ’94.) We’ve always known that Ronaldo has bags of talent, but in this game he also showed a remarkable tenacity to deal with as many as five Czech defenders surrounding him and find a way to get the job done.

• Where do I collect my loot? The Blog had 3-1 Portugal before this game, remember?

• Deco and Nuno Gomes had splendid games, too. Deco was magnificent the entire match, putting in the effort to score a scrappy first goal for the Portuguese and showing impressive vision to hit Ronaldo with the key passes on goals No. 2 and No. 3. (It was Deco who unsettled the Czech midfield in a way I thought João Moutinho would, but Moutinho had a bad game.) As for Nuno Gomes, I slagged on the guy before the game, but he did all the little things right to help his team win. On the first goal it was Nuno Gomes who played the backboard, hitting a beautiful little touch on the give-and-go with Ronaldo in the Czech box. And on the game-winner it was Nuno Gomes who made the killer run in the box, drawing away defender Zdenek Grygera just long enough to give Ronaldo the tiny bit of space he needed to get off his shot (in front of a charging Grygera). Great work by the captain, who doesn’t play your typical center-forward’s role.

• We’re seeing some exhilarating attacking soccer in Euro 2008. After an often-dour Euro 2004 that was symbolized by the triumph of the Greeks, this Euro has been a smashing success so far for entertainment’s sake. Holland-Italy really got things going, and now Spain and Portugal have followed suit, thanks in part to opponents (in Russia and the Czechs) who didn’t play defensive-minded soccer either. That’s something to celebrate.

• It’s raining men up in the UEFA/FIFA VIP box. Here’s a question that always comes to mind when the cameras flash up to the VIP box in the stands: Who is the highest-ranking woman in FIFA and/or UEFA? I honestly don't know the answer. This first hit me during the Women’s World Cup, when a bunch of men were giving the medals to the winning teams. The all-powerful FIFA Executive Committee consists of 25 men who form an impressive Boys Club. In fact, my favorite ExCo bio is the one for South Korea’s Chung Mong-Joon, who lists one of his hobbies as “drinking with friends.” Awesome.

Through-balls: Count me in wishing that Quaresma gets the start in place of Simão from here on out. Simão was brutal today and wasted all sorts of opportunities, both in the run of play and on free kicks. (No wonder Deco was ticked that Simão called him off) ... Was it just me, or could Portuguese goalie Ricardo have done more to stop Libor Sionko’s goal? This isn’t news to anyone who follows Portugal, but Ricardo struggles mightily on corner- and free-kicks and just doesn’t appear to have very good instincts. He reminds me a lot of ex-French ‘keeper Fabien Barthez ... Despite the loss, I feel better about the Czechs than I did after Game 1 and now think they’ll get through to the second round ahead of Switzerland or Turkey. The insertion of Milan Baros for Jan Koller was an inspired move by Karel Bruckner. Even though Baros didn’t score, he was far more dangerous than the lumbering Koller had been in the first game. When the Czech outside backs Grygera and Marek Jankulovski (or the Janky-man, as I like to call him) aren’t getting off many crosses (and they aren’t), then Koller is borderline useless ... Separated at Birth: Portugal’s Paulo Ferreira and a young Godfather-era Al Pacino; Czech coach Karel Bruckner and the late Masterpiece Theater host Alistair Cooke.

Where do you think Portugal’s performance ranks in comparison to Spain’s and Holland’s? Will the Czechs still qualify for Round Two? Post your comments below and check back in for a blog update after Switzerland-Turkey ...