Nuno Tavares helped Portugal fight their way to the quarter-finals of the U21 European Championships, winning their first match in the competition in dramatic fashion.
After a slow start to the tournament that saw them lose to hosts Georgia and draw with the Netherlands, Portugal turned their fortunes around with a vital 2-1 victory over Belgium on Tuesday evening, sending them into second in Group A.
Tavares featured for the entire match as a left-back, with all three goals coming in the second half. Joao Neves' opener was quickly cancelled out by Belgium's Yorbe Vertessen, meaning that some last-minute penalty heroics from captain Tiago Dantas were required to send Portugal through.
After booking their place in the knockout stages, Portugal are now set to face Emile Smith Rowe and England in the quarter-finals. England have one final group game still to play against Germany but their qualification is already secured following back-to-back wins in Group C.
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