PARIS: Portugal secured a 3-1 victory over Poland on Saturday, marking their third consecutive win in the Nations League. Cristiano Ronaldo played a pivotal role in the match, scoring and continuing his impressive form in the tournament.
The game began with Bernardo Silva opening the scoring in the 26th minute. He volleyed the ball into the net after Bruno Fernandes cleverly nodded a cross from Ruben Neves back toward him. Shortly after, Ronaldo capitalized on a rebound to double Portugal’s lead. Rafael Leao’s shot hit the post, but Ronaldo was in the right place at the right time to convert the chance, bringing his international goals tally to 133.
Although Piotr Zielinski managed to pull one back for Poland, an own goal from Jan Bednarek sealed Portugal’s victory. This win keeps Portugal as the only team in League A with a perfect record, putting them in a strong position to qualify for the quarter-finals next week.
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Portugal’s Coach Expressed Satisfaction
Portugal’s coach, Roberto Martinez, expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance. “We worked very hard the last few days, preparing various solutions for this game,” he said. He added, “We controlled this game and played great as a team.”
Portugal now sits at the top of Group A1 with nine points, three ahead of Croatia, who defeated Scotland 2-1. In that match, Scotland took a surprise lead with Ryan Christie’s first-half goal in Zagreb. However, Igor Matanovic equalized before the break, and Andrej Kramaric scored the winner in the second half. Che Adams had a chance to equalize in stoppage time, but VAR disallowed his goal for offside. This loss marks Scotland’s third consecutive defeat in the group, extending their winless streak in competitive matches to nine games, the longest in their history.
Spain Narrowly Defeats Denmark
Meanwhile, Spain secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Denmark in Murcia. Martin Zubimendi scored the only goal of the match in the 79th minute, helping Spain climb to seven points in the group. Before the game, Spanish captain Alvaro Morata showcased the European Championship trophy to fans, adding excitement to the atmosphere.
Despite missing key players like Rodri and Dani Carvajal due to injuries, Spain managed to find a breakthrough. Zubimendi’s low drive from just outside the area slipped past Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who had made several crucial saves earlier in the match, denying both Lamine Yamal and Morata.
“I’m very happy with the goal, but above all, in such a close game where we had to open the scoring,” Zubimendi said. Spain’s coach, Luis de la Fuente, praised Zubimendi, saying, “He’s one of the best players in the world in his position.”
With this result, Spain moved ahead of Denmark in the group standings. In another match in Group C3, Serbia claimed their first win of the tournament, defeating Switzerland 2-0. An own goal from Nico Elvedi put Serbia ahead, and Aleksandar Mitrovic doubled the lead before Predrag Rajkovic saved a penalty from Swiss striker Breel Embolo.
In other matches, Bulgaria played to a goalless draw against Luxembourg, while Northern Ireland drew with Belarus in Hungary. Romania achieved a comfortable 3-0 victory against Cyprus in Group C2, and Kosovo secured a 2-1 win over Lithuania.
As the Nations League progresses, the stakes continue to rise for all teams involved, with Portugal and Spain showcasing their strength in the competition.
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