Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal’s sub, grabbed a final moment victory against Scotland when his team was behind. He helped his team keep up their good beginning in the Nations League Sunday with a 2-1 victory.
Tying the score was Bruno Fernandes, before Ronaldo jumped into action in the last few moments adding his career’s 901st goal. Despite the surprise lead ahead from a powerful goal by Scott McTominay at the seventh minute, Scotland missed out on their first win against Portugal since 1980.
However, the guests left empty-handed despite their hard work, as Ronaldo, at 39, once more came through for his nation. “His impact stays consistent, regardless of starting from the bench or not,” Fernandes stated. This was his 600th career match. He spoke about his ex-Manchester United colleague, “Every substitute brought something new. Cristiano always aims for the goal. Today he hit 901 goals and is heading towards his thousandth. That’s his goal.”
In League A Group 1, Portugal tops the charts with six points from their initial win over Croatia. Croatia sits in second place with three points from their 1-0 victory against Poland the past Sunday. Scotland, however, has not been as lucky; they faced two losses, both caused by late goals.
Upon reaching Lisbon, the Scottish team was still smarting from a 3-2 defeat at home against Poland. However, their traveling supporters, aka the Tartan Army, soon found a reason to be jubilant. In the Estadio da Luz, former Manchester United midfielder, McTominay, powerfully connected with a brilliant cross from Kenny McLean to score. Portugal retaliated by relentlessly attacking Scotland’s goal.
Yet, their goalkeeper, Angus Gunn, continued to deny the Portuguese with a series of saves, one of which was an exceptional stop of Rafael Leao’s low shot. Despite firing 15 attempts on goal in the first half, Portugal was left grumbling as an adamant Scotland held their lead firm.
In the 54th minute, Gunn faced defeat. Fernandes’ well-aimed shot found its place, a ball that Gunn, the Scotland keeper, should probably have stopped. Portugal seemed weary but discovered a fresh energy later on. Joao Felix’s two shots were brilliantly blocked by Gunn, and Ronaldo’s header nearly made it, missing by a hair’s breadth as it hit the post’s inside.
Yet, Ronaldo didn’t go unnoticed. He grabbed attention with a straightforward tap from a sharp pass by Nuno Mendes. With another late heartbreak, Scotland’s morale took a hit, continuing a streak of eight non-winning intense matches.
At 54 minutes into the game, Fernandes scored a goal that Gunn could’ve potentially stopped. Portugal appeared exhausted but rallied later, with Joao Felix pushing for points twice and Ronaldo hitting the post. Ultimately, it was Ronaldo who captured attention with a straightforward goal off Nuno Mendes’ impressive pass. The Scotland team’s spirits deflated as they again tasted the bitterness of defeat, continuing their eight-match winless streak.
Adding salt to the wound, they have had goals scored against them in the closing minutes in five of their last six games in varied contests. Commenting on the match, Scotland’s manager Steve Clarke expressed disappointment. “We looked poised to score at several points in the game,” he shared. “Considering the effort and skill level the team displayed, they deserved more.”