Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal staged a second-half masterclass to thrash Poland 5-1 and secure their place in the Nations League quarter-finals on Friday.
Portugal, who had struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, came to life after the break, joining France, Germany, Italy, and Spain in the last eight. Poland’s hopes of advancing from Group A1 were dashed by the comprehensive defeat.
The match in Porto saw Portugal break the deadlock just before the hour mark. Rafael Leao opened the scoring after starting and finishing a slick move. The AC Milan winger surged forward, passed to Nuno Mendes, whose cross from the left was met with a powerful header past Poland’s goalkeeper, Marcin Bulka.
Thirteen minutes later, Portugal doubled their lead, with captain Ronaldo converting a penalty after Jakub Kiwior was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area.
The floodgates opened in the final stages as Bruno Fernandes made it 3-0 in the 80th minute. The Manchester United midfielder finished off a clever run by Vitinha, who played him in with a precise pass.
Pedro Neto added a fourth just three minutes later, benefiting from a brilliant assist by Ronaldo, whose deft pass left the Polish defense in disarray.
Ronaldo wasn’t done, though. In the 87th minute, he scored his second goal and Portugal’s fifth with a stunning overhead kick that left the Polish defense helpless. Dominik Marczuk managed to pull one back for Poland, scoring a consolation goal in the final moments.
Poland had created a few early chances, but their finishing was hampered by the absence of star striker Robert Lewandowski, who was sidelined with a back injury. Before Leao’s opener, Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa made a crucial save to deny Marczuk, and he had earlier kept out a dangerous effort from Nicola Zalewski.
Ronaldo had the best chance of the first half for Portugal but blazed a close-range effort over the bar, much to the frustration of the home side. However, the second half was a different story as Portugal turned on the style to seal a dominant victory and their progression to the next stage of the competition.
