emirates7 - Cristiano Ronaldo scored as Portugal defeated Poland 3-1 in Warsaw on Saturday, marking their third consecutive win in the Nations League. Meanwhile, European champions Spain ended Denmark's perfect start to the competition.
Portugal took the lead in the 26th minute when Bernardo Silva volleyed in a goal, thanks to a clever nod from Bruno Fernandes on a cross from Ruben Neves. Ronaldo soon added a second goal for Portugal, capitalizing on a rebound after Rafael Leao's shot hit the post following an impressive run by the AC Milan winger. At 39, Ronaldo has now scored in all three matches of this Nations League campaign, bringing his record for men's international goals to 133.
Although Piotr Zielinski reduced the deficit for Poland, an own goal from Jan Bednarek secured the win for Portugal, who remain the only team in League A with a perfect record and could clinch a spot in the quarter-finals next week. Roberto Martinez's side sits at nine points in Group A1, three ahead of Croatia, who defeated Scotland 2-1, leaving the Scots with three consecutive losses in the section. Ryan Christie put Scotland ahead in the first half, but Igor Matanovic equalized before halftime, and Andrej Kramaric scored the winner in the second half. Che Adams had a late chance to equalize, but VAR ruled his goal offside, extending Scotland's winless streak to nine competitive matches— the longest in their history.
In Murcia, Spain secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Denmark, thanks to a 79th-minute goal from Martin Zubimendi, which allowed them to overtake Denmark at the top of Group A4. Spain was missing several key players, including Rodri, Dani Carvajal, and first-choice goalkeeper Unai Simon due to injuries, along with Dani Olmo and Robin Le Normand. Despite these absences, Zubimendi's low shot from just outside the box slipped past Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who had previously made saves against Lamine Yamal and Alvaro Morata. Spain now leads the group with seven points, one ahead of Denmark, while Serbia claimed their first win of the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Switzerland. Serbia opened the scoring with an own goal from Nico Elvedi in first-half stoppage time, followed by a goal from Aleksandar Mitrovic. Swiss striker Breel Embolo had a penalty saved by Predrag Rajkovic.
In Group C3, both matches ended without goals, with Bulgaria drawing at home against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland playing to a stalemate with Belarus in Hungary. Additionally, Romania achieved a convincing 3-0 win away against Cyprus in Group C2, while Kosovo secured a 2-1 victory over Lithuania.
Portugal took the lead in the 26th minute when Bernardo Silva volleyed in a goal, thanks to a clever nod from Bruno Fernandes on a cross from Ruben Neves. Ronaldo soon added a second goal for Portugal, capitalizing on a rebound after Rafael Leao's shot hit the post following an impressive run by the AC Milan winger. At 39, Ronaldo has now scored in all three matches of this Nations League campaign, bringing his record for men's international goals to 133.
Although Piotr Zielinski reduced the deficit for Poland, an own goal from Jan Bednarek secured the win for Portugal, who remain the only team in League A with a perfect record and could clinch a spot in the quarter-finals next week. Roberto Martinez's side sits at nine points in Group A1, three ahead of Croatia, who defeated Scotland 2-1, leaving the Scots with three consecutive losses in the section. Ryan Christie put Scotland ahead in the first half, but Igor Matanovic equalized before halftime, and Andrej Kramaric scored the winner in the second half. Che Adams had a late chance to equalize, but VAR ruled his goal offside, extending Scotland's winless streak to nine competitive matches— the longest in their history.
In Murcia, Spain secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Denmark, thanks to a 79th-minute goal from Martin Zubimendi, which allowed them to overtake Denmark at the top of Group A4. Spain was missing several key players, including Rodri, Dani Carvajal, and first-choice goalkeeper Unai Simon due to injuries, along with Dani Olmo and Robin Le Normand. Despite these absences, Zubimendi's low shot from just outside the box slipped past Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who had previously made saves against Lamine Yamal and Alvaro Morata. Spain now leads the group with seven points, one ahead of Denmark, while Serbia claimed their first win of the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Switzerland. Serbia opened the scoring with an own goal from Nico Elvedi in first-half stoppage time, followed by a goal from Aleksandar Mitrovic. Swiss striker Breel Embolo had a penalty saved by Predrag Rajkovic.
In Group C3, both matches ended without goals, with Bulgaria drawing at home against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland playing to a stalemate with Belarus in Hungary. Additionally, Romania achieved a convincing 3-0 win away against Cyprus in Group C2, while Kosovo secured a 2-1 victory over Lithuania.