The Portuguese legend scored two goals in Portugal’s crucial victory over Poland (5-1).
Cristiano Ronaldo is insatiable. At 39, he continues to make a difference and leave his mark every international break with his beloved Portuguese national team.
Ronaldo was instrumental in Portugal’s rout of Poland on Friday, scoring two goals. The former Real Madrid star’s best partner was Vitinha, who had a truly exceptional performance. The Portuguese advance to the quarter-finals as leaders of Group A1 of the League of Nations.
Playing without Robert Lewandowski, Poland theoretically seemed like an accessible opponent for Portugal, but passivity took over Spanish coach Roberto Martínez’s team, which lacked creativity in the first half.
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Amid Portuguese lethargy, Poland began to test goalkeeper Diogo Costa, first with a header from Bereszynski and then with a shot from Zalewski.
The biggest scare at Do Dragão (Porto) came from a shot by Krzysztof Piatek that went just a few millimeters off the post.
On the other side, a frustrated Cristiano Ronaldo retreated from his attacking position to help with the build-up, but only Rafael Leão’s speed managed to create an imbalance, although without threatening the Polish goal.
Needing an injection of energy, Martínez turned to Vitinha, whose presence in midfield completely changed Portugal’s game.
In the 59th minute, the Portuguese team opened the scoring with a goal from Leão. The winger received the ball in his own half, sprinted towards goal and played a through ball to Nuno Mendes, who then passed it back for the AC Milan player to head in and score the first.
Portugal continued to press, and in the 72nd minute, an offensive move led by Pedro Neto culminated in Cristiano Ronaldo hitting the penalty spot, making it 2-0.
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With one foot in the quarter-finals of the Nations League, the Portuguese team did not reduce their intensity, and in the 80th minute, Bruno Fernandes scored the third with a strong shot, and in the 83rd, Neto managed the fourth after a pass from Cristiano.
But the best was yet to come, as, just before the final whistle, Vitinha found Cristiano Ronaldo, who performed a spectacular bicycle kick to score the fifth.
The only blemish on a perfect second half for Portugal was the defensive errors that led to Poland’s only goal, scored by Marczuk.
In this way, Roberto Martínez’s team advances to the quarterfinals, guaranteeing first place in Group A1.
In addition to the result, what marked the night at Estádio do Dragão was that incredible bicycle goal at almost 40 years of age, raising his record as the greatest scorer in the history of international football to 136 goals in 217 games. Incredible.
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With Portugal’s victory, Cristiano now has 132 victories with the national team, surpassing Sergio Ramos as the player with the most victories in football history.
Cristiano remains a beast, an insatiable force. A true legend.
