New Delhi: It was a game where two European heavyweights clashed, which saw Portugal taking on Croatia in the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica. The match springed into life in the initial moments of the match as Diogo Dalot was found by Bruno Fernandes and the United duo succeeded in giving Portugal an early lead. The Manchester United full back, opened the scoring for Portugal in the opening seven minutes despite being an unexpected scorer. After sprinting into the penalty area, Dalot was discovered by his clubmate Fernandes, who then took his chance as the ball went through the legs of Livakovic to find the net making it 1-0 for Portugal.
There were further chances for Roberto Martinez’s side as they did threaten the Croatian defence but they failed to create any sort of real pressure that deserved to find the net. However, it was a moment when Cristiano Ronaldo achieved yet another major milestone, extending his record of most number of career goals by a player to 900. The Portuguese icon was found by Nuno Mendes who provided an inch perfect left footed cross into the Croatian box where Ronaldo timed his run to perfection and produced a neat first time finish to make it 2-0 for Portugal. Yet another day and yet another milestone achieved by the phenomenal Portuguese forward.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Nations Lea. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Portugal kept on threatening and showed some real intent to go forward. However, despite the pressure from the hosts, it was the croatian side who reduced the deficit thanks to an unfortunate own goal from Diogo Dalot, who now scored on both the ends. Croatia managed to make it 2-1, breathing down the neck of the Portuguese side and at half time it remained that way in the second half. In the second half, both the sides came on to the pitch with a real intent in order to ge the best possible start to their campaigns.
Both the sides managed to get their chances but Croatia just coudn’t get the job done and as for Portugal, they failed to extend the lead. However, it was an enteraining game to watch where a historic moment took place involving the one and only Cristiano Ronaldo, who extended his career goals tally to 900. Truly an astonishing achievement for a player with high stature and pedigree.
Player of the match: Nuno Mendes
Nuno Mendes of Portugal during the UEFA Nations league match between Portugal v Croatia at the Estadio Da Luz on September 5, 2024 in Lisbon Portugal (Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Nuno Mendes certainly had one of the best performances in a while as the full back did his defensive duties pretty well, while also contibuting in the attacking threat that Portugal imposed. He played a wonderful left footed cross from the left flank to find Cristiano Ronaldo who made no mistae in putting it away to score the second goal for Portugal. The left back was running tirelessly and he had a major impact on the pitch, thanks to his ability to move forward and make those overlapping runs. Despite the contention from Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo and also Vitinha, the PSG fullback certainly was amongst the best players on the pitch and put up a good shift for Roberto Martinez’s side.
Portugal manage to protect their slim lead in the second half to make a strong start to the campaign, while Croatia were left to do some self searching as the final whistle blew. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
