Portugal thrashed Poland 5-1, without Lewandowski, and the former Real Madrid player added a new record to his impressive achievements.
On Friday, Portugal triumphed over Poland with two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and a standout performance from Vitinha, while Roberto Martínez’s team advanced to the quarter-finals as leaders of Group A1 in the Nations League.
Without Robert Lewandowski, Poland was theoretically an accessible opponent for Portugal, however, coach Roberto Martínez’s players showed an unsatisfactory first half, devoid of creativity.
As Portugal struggled to assert themselves, Poland began to test goalkeeper Diogo Costa, first with a header from Bereszynski and then a shot from Zalewski.
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The biggest concern at the Estádio do Dragão (Porto) came from Krzysztof Piatek, whose shot skimmed the post.
On the other hand, a frustrated Cristiano Ronaldo retreated from his attacking position to help build plays, but only Rafael Leão’s speed managed to create some imbalance, although none of the players managed to trouble the Polish goal.
Portugal needed a boost of energy, which led Martínez to introduce Vitinha, whose presence in midfield transformed Portugal’s performance.
In the 59th minute, Portugal opened the scoring with a goal from Leão. The striker picked up the ball in his own half, ran towards the goal and gave a sweet pass to Nuno Mendes, who then returned the ball to the AC Milan player. header and open the scoring.
Portugal continued to exert pressure, and in the 72nd minute, an attacking move led by Pedro Neto ended with Cristiano Ronaldo on the mark, where he made it 2-0.
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With one foot in the quarter-finals of the Nations League, the Portuguese team maintained its intensity, and in the 80th minute Bruno Fernandes scored the third with a powerful shot, followed by Neto scoring in the fourth minute 83, assisted by Cristiano.
But the best was yet to come, as moments before the final whistle, Vitinha found Cristiano Ronaldo, who performed a bicycle kick to make it 5-1.
With Portugal’s victory, Cristiano Ronaldo now holds the record for most victories in international football, surpassing Sergio Ramos with 132 triumphs, according to Mister Chip.
With this victory, Roberto Martínez’s team advances to the quarterfinals, guaranteeing first place in Group A1. They will play their final group stage match away to Croatia next Monday.
