Cristiano Ronaldo shines with a goal in Portugal’s Nations League win, while Spain dominates Denmark in another thrilling encounter, boosting their chances in the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored in Portugal’s 3-1 victory over Poland, securing their third consecutive Nations League win on Saturday. Meanwhile, European champions Spain ended Denmark’s flawless run in the competition.
In the 26th minute in Warsaw, Bernardo Silva put Portugal in the lead with a volley after Bruno Fernandes smartly headed Ruben Neves’ cross back to the Manchester City midfielder.
Ronaldo positioned himself perfectly to capitalize on the rebound and scored Portugal’s second goal. This opportunity arose after Rafael Leao, following an impressive surging run by the AC Milan winger, had his shot deflect off the post.
The 39-year-old Ronaldo has now scored in each of Portugal’s three Nations League matches this campaign, increasing his record for men’s international goals to 133.
Piotr Zielinski reduced Poland’s deficit, but an own goal by Jan Bednarek confirmed Portugal’s victory. As the only team in League A with a perfect record, Portugal now has the opportunity to secure a spot in the quarter-finals next week.
Roberto Martinez’s team has secured a full nine points in Group A1, putting them three points ahead of Croatia. Meanwhile, Croatia defeated Scotland 2-1, handing the Scots their third consecutive loss in this section.
Ryan Christie’s first-half goal stunned the crowd by giving Scotland an unexpected lead in Zagreb. However, Igor Matanovic leveled the score before halftime, and Andrej Kramaric secured the win with a decisive goal midway through the second half.
Che Adams believed he had secured a stoppage-time equalizer, but his attempt was ruled offside by VAR. This left Scotland without a win in nine competitive matches — marking the longest such streak in their history.
Spain relied on a 79th-minute goal from Martin Zubimendi to secure a narrow 1-0 victory over Denmark in Murcia, thereby overtaking their opponents at the top of Group A4.
The hosts were missing Rodri and Dani Carvajal due to long-term injuries. Additionally, first-choice goalkeeper Unai Simon was still recuperating from wrist surgery, while both Dani Olmo and Robin Le Normand were also unavailable.
However, Luis de la Fuente’s team secured the decisive goal when Zubimendi’s low shot from just outside the box slipped past Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who had previously thwarted attempts by Lamine Yamal and Alvaro Morata.
Spain advanced to seven points, surpassing Denmark by one point, while Serbia secured their first victory with a 2-0 win against Switzerland in Leskovac.
Serbia took the lead with an own goal by Nico Elvedi during first-half stoppage time, and Aleksandar Mitrovic extended their advantage. Later on, Predrag Rajkovic saved a penalty from Swiss striker Breel Embolo.
Both matches in Group C3 ended without any goals, with Bulgaria being held to a draw at home by Luxembourg and Northern Ireland playing to a stalemate against Belarus on neutral ground in Hungary.
Romania secured a comfortable 3-0 victory against Cyprus on the road in Group C2, while Kosovo triumphed over Lithuania with a score of 2-1.
