Nations League: Ronaldo’s 900th goal helps Portugal to 2-1 win over Croatia

Dalot put Portugal ahead in the seventh minute when Bruno Fernandes played a clever chipped pass into his path and the defender went past Borna Sosa before firing his shot through the legs of the keeper.

Published : Sep 06, 2024 03:03 IST , LISBON - 1 MIN READ

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo in action against Croatia.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo in action against Croatia. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
infoIcon

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo in action against Croatia. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 900th career goal helped Portugal to a 2-1 win over Croatia in their first Nations League game on Thursday as Diogo Dalot opened the scoring for the hosts and netted an own goal.

Dalot put Portugal ahead in the seventh minute when Bruno Fernandes played a clever chipped pass into his path and the defender went past Borna Sosa before firing his shot through the legs of the keeper.

Ronaldo, who failed to score in Portugal’s five Euro 2024 games, reached his milestone when he got on the end of a perfect cross from Nuno Mendes and the unmarked 39-year-old tapped in from close range to double the lead in the 34th minute.

ALSO READ | Vinicius says Spain should lose 2030 World Cup unless racism declines

Croatia pulled one back four minutes from the break when Dalot deflected a sliding effort from Sosa into his own net but a scoreless second half gave Portugal a winning start to their campaign.

In Thursday’s other League A Group 1 game, Poland beat Scotland 3-2. Portugal host Scotland and Croatia entertain Poland on Sunday.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment