Cristiano Ronaldo netted a brace as Portugal crushed Poland 5-1 with a dominant second-half performance to secure their spot in the Nations League quarter-finals on Friday. Portugal’s victory, coupled with Spain’s 2-1 win over Denmark, ensured both teams advanced to the next round, with Portugal finishing top of Group A1.
Portugal, under coach Roberto Martínez, have already sealed their place in the last eight, alongside France, Germany, and Italy, who are also through to the quarter-finals. Despite Poland being the better side early on, they failed to capitalize on their chances in Porto, and Portugal made them pay with a late flurry of goals.
“We couldn’t impose ourselves in the first half,” said Portugal’s Rafael Leao, who opened the scoring. “The coach’s approach at halftime was key to shifting the pressure and turning the game around.”
Portugal had failed to register a shot on target in the first 45 minutes, with Ronaldo firing a volley over the bar before the break. Poland’s Dominik Marczuk came close to scoring early in the second half, but Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa produced a brilliant fingertip save to keep the score level.
Moments later, Portugal surged ahead. Leao raced forward and met a cross from Nuno Mendes, heading it powerfully past Poland’s Marcin Bulka. Portugal were awarded a penalty when a shot from Diogo Dalot struck Jakub Kiwior’s hand at close range, and Ronaldo converted with a cheeky ‘Panenka’ to double Portugal’s lead.
With Poland’s hopes of a comeback dashed, Bruno Fernandes made it 3-0 with a thunderous strike off the crossbar, before Pedro Neto rifled home the fourth after a precise pass from Ronaldo. Ronaldo wasn’t done, however, and completed his double with a stunning acrobatic volley in the 87th minute to move to 135 international goals.
Poland grabbed a late consolation through Marczuk, but their hopes of progressing were dashed, and they now face relegation if they lose to Scotland in their final match.
Meanwhile, Scotland breathed new life into their survival hopes with a dramatic 1-0 win over 10-man Croatia. John McGinn’s late strike in the 86th minute sealed the victory after Croatia’s Petar Sucic was sent off in the first half.
