Portugalled by a Cristiano Ronaldo who scored the 900th goal of his career at 39 years old, won 2-1 against Croatiathis Thursday at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, in the opening of their group of the League of Nations of UEFA.
The Seleçao secured their victory over the current runners-up of the tournament thanks to their effectiveness in the first half, where they were clearly superior.
The home side opened the scoring in the 7th minute through Diogo Dalot, who finished off a great collective move after an assist from Bruno Fernandes. However, Dalot had a completely different experience in the 41st minute, when he scored against his own side.
Before that, Cristiano Ronaldo had scored in the 34th minute to reach that figure of 900 goals in his career. It was with a powerful shot thanks to a perfect cross from Nuno Mendes.
This personal challenge was one of the incentives that this match presented for the 39-year-old player, who has been exiled in Saudi Arabia for the last two seasons and who seems close to retirement.
The scoreline remained unchanged in the second half. Portugal continued to have the best chances, but failed to convert them against a Croatia side that tried to be more offensive in the final half, but without success.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed a good chance in the 76th minute to have scored his 901st goal. He was replaced with a few minutes remaining by Diogo Jota.
This match at Benfica also served as a tribute to Pepe, who at 41 has just retired after having played for the national team for 17 years. Pepe was with the team at the recent European Championship, where France cut their path in the quarter-finals.
In the other Group A1 match, Robert Lewandowski’s Poland won 3-2 in their visit to Scotland.
On Sunday, Portugal will host Scotland on the second day of the fixture, while Croatia will play Poland at home.
Source: Ambito
