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Portugal 3-1 Poland (October 12, 2024) Game analysis
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Portugal 3-1 Poland (October 12, 2024) Game analysis

First-half goals from Bernardo Silva and Cristiano Ronaldo helped group leaders Portugal to a comfortable 3-1 win away to Poland in the Nations League on Saturday, as they continued their perfect start to the competition with three wins.

Silva put Portugal ahead after 26 minutes thanks to Bruno Fernandes’ header, before captain Ronaldo scored his 133rd international goal when he doubled the lead 11 minutes later with a first-time shot after Rafael Leão hit the post.

Piotr Zielinski pulled a goal back for Poland in the 78th with a powerful strike into the roof of the net before home defender Jan Bednarek scored an own goal in the final minutes.

Portugal continue to set the pace in League A Group 1 with nine points, three ahead of Croatia, who came from behind to beat visitors Scotland 2-1 earlier on Saturday.

Poland, who beat Scotland 3-2 in their opener before losing 1-0 in Croatia, are third with three points, while the Scots have none so far.

Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored in five consecutive games for club and country.

Rafal Oleksiewicz/Getty Images


The Poles started in the foreground and top striker Robert Lewandowski was close to an early opener when he was inches away from a cross when Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa got in front of him.

However, Portugal quickly grew into the match and Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski was put to work early on when he blocked Diogo Dalot’s effort from close range.

Ronaldo then hit the underside of the crossbar as Portugal continued to enjoy the majority of possession and their chances kept coming.

Fernandes tested Skorupski again in the 14th minute with a curling shot from just outside the penalty area and the keeper had to stretch to tap the ball away.

Poland’s vulnerable backline eventually capitulated when Silva struck before Ronaldo made it 2-0 with a calm finish.

Leão had recovered the ball near the halfway line and slalomed past four defenders before hitting the post from inside the penalty area, forcing Ronaldo to take the rebound.

The 39-year-old Al Nassr striker, who helped Portugal to 2-1 wins against Scotland and Croatia with one goal in each match, scored his 11th of the season for club and country.

He could have added a third after the restart but hesitated to finish from the box and instead found Fernandes, who flew the ball over the bar.

Poland were given a glimmer of hope when Lewandowski had a chance a minute later when he climbed highest into the penalty area to connect with a cross, but his header flew narrowly wide of the left post.

Portuguese coach Roberto Martinez continued to manage Ronaldo’s playing time, with Diogo Jota replacing him in the 63rd minute.

Having played virtually every minute of every match at this year’s European Championship, Ronaldo was replaced by Jota late in the game against Croatia and only started in the second half against Scotland.

Zielinski’s strike injected some life into the home side, but Poland missed clear chances to equalize before Bednarek’s own goal confirmed the end of their two-year unbeaten home run.