Czech Republic

By Patrick Vignal

GENEVA, June 11 (Reuters) - Czech coach Karel Brueckner did not have just Cristiano Ronaldo to blame after his team lost 3-1 to a Portugal team blessed with all-round talent in an entertaining Group A match at Euro 2008 on Wednesday. Winger Ronaldo lived up to his tag as a special player by scoring a goal and being involved in his side's other two but it was a team effort that sent Portugal close to the quarter-finals, Brueckner said.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a very dangerous weapon and could be the best player in this tournament but Portugal are not just about Ronaldo," Brueckner told a news conference. "They have many brilliant individuals."

The Czech coach singled out Deco, who paraded his best form on the Geneva pitch with inspired midfield play.

"Deco is also a strong player, no doubt about that," Brueckner said. "He was possibly the best player in this match. He is the brain of the Portuguese team, he takes responsibility.

"With such players on the other side of the pitch it's never going to be easy."

At least the Czechs, Brueckner said, improved on their opening performance, a 1-0 win over Switzerland in which their only clear chance was the winning goal.

"We proved that we could play good football, not only in defence but also in attack," he said. "We created more chances, especially in the first half, than we had in our first match."

Brueckner's men gave Portugal a hard time in the first half but appeared to run out of steam when their opponents stepped up a few gears after the break.

"In the second half we were a bit tired and our opponents put up a great performance," the Czech coach said. "Their transition from defence to attack was perfect. The ball just went up and down all the time.

"I wouldn't say we had a fitness problem. Our problem was Portugal, who found extra strength after going 2-1 up and put us under pressure. Our problem was simply that Portugal played excellent football."

While Portugal, who had started with a 2-0 win over Turkey, are nearly through to the knockout stages, the Czechs, who face Turkey on Sunday in Geneva, are not out of it yet.

"It isn't over for us," Brueckner said. "We have a third match coming and we're ready for it."

(Editing by Jon Bramley)