A luxurious second half allowed Portugal to beat Poland 5-1 tonight, in the 5th round of Group A1 of the Nations League, after a first half that was far below expectations. The result, as well as securing a place in the quarter-finals of the competition, gave Portugal first place, as Croatia lost in Scotland.
Of the five goals scored in the second 45 minutes, the highlight was Ronaldo’s bicycle kick that made it 5-0 (he scored twice in the game) and the wonderful goals from Rafael Leão, Bruno Fernandes and Pedro Neto.
PHOTOS: the best images from Portugal-Poland
It is more difficult to reach the ‘rooms’ via steps
The greatest concern was in matters of defence. The injury to Rúben Dias left the sector without a leader, forcing Roberto Martínez to choose an unprecedented pairing: Renato Veiga and António Silva, the latter a backup to Tomás Araújo at Benfica. The Reds starter was on the bench. In midfield, the choice for João Neves over Vitinha was surprising.
One point, it is true, was enough to guarantee the first objective - qualification – but the sleepy entry of the Seleção to Dragão was not for those who wanted the ‘fourth’. Everything predictable, everything slow, no intensity, no decision. Attack and defense.
Playing at home, Diogo Costa was called into service in the 12th minute, to save Bereszynski’s shot from a Kiwior pass. At 17, it is Renato Veiga who must impose his body to prevent Piatek from being isolated. At 20, Diogo Costa was called to work again, to save Zalewski’s shot from the edge of the area.
In terms of danger, it was Poland who showed the greatest desire to win the game. Nuno Mendes had to intervene for a header, for a corner, a shot from Bereszynski, with Diogo Costa already out of the game. Zalewski put the ball behind the full back.
Offensively, Portugal’s performance on a cold night at Dragão was limited to a 15th-minute mix-up between Manchester’s creative players – colleagues in the national team, opponents in the English city – between Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva. They stayed ‘you go or I go’, nobody went and Pedro Neto’s great pass remained the adjective. And what can be considered a waste by Cristiano Ronaldo at 41: he won a header after Rafael Leão’s cross, but the deflection hit a Polish player and went out. The referee gave a goal kick, Ronaldo protested and received a yellow card. The same thing that Bruno Fernandes had seen before, also for the same reason, which takes him out of next Monday’s game against Croatia. João Neves on, at least it was for a foul in the middle of the field.
In the selection, Diogo Costa stood out At 41, he had to apply himself to prevent the Polish goal, with a deflection in the small area of Dalot. It would be a goal in itself. And when he wasn’t the team’s goalkeeper, he was on the pivot. Minute 38: Piatek hit Renato Veiga, started to pace and shot, with the ball going out, after scraping the base of the post.
Michał Probierz would be enjoying what he saw from his team, only regretting the lack of goals. And bad luck, as it happened in the 32nd minute, Bartosz Bereszyński was lost due to injury (Jakub Kaminski came on him), having also lost, during the warm-up, Szymanski, who gave his place to Bogusz in the first eleven. Adding to all this was an injury to the captain and star of the team, Roberto Lewadowski, who was already known to miss the last two games of the group stage of the League of Nations.
Run, you run a lot, Lion!
For Roberto Martinez, the problem was in midfield and in the first phase of
The conversation at half-time was effective because it was the other Portugal that returned from the dressing rooms: in attitude, intensity, determination and desire to win.
The game required feline speed from the Brazilian side. That’s how Leão loosened his claws, pulled out his main weapon (speed), rode around from the entrance to the Portuguese area until he released Nuno Mendes at the other end, the full-back appreciated Rafael’s movement and sent the ball to him. with all the heavy ingredients – time, intensity and speed – for the An accurate header from the Milan striker in the 59th minute. The hardest part was done. Before that, he gave the first warning, with a great shot from the right that narrowly missed a goal, in the 49th minute.
Interestingly enough, the game had even started with a poland chance, again denied by Diogo Costa: The national goalkeeper stopped Marczuk’s long-range ‘bomb’ with another beautiful save, for a corner.
In the 70th minute, in one of Portugal’s best plays, it was 2-0. After several exchanges of the ball in the Polish area, Vitinha found Dalot, the defender kicked, the ball was blocked by Kiwior’s hand. A penalty was promptly awarded by Lithuanian referee Donatas Rumsas. Asked to convert, Cristiano Ronaldo showed class and shot into the middle of the goal, making it 2-0.
Time for the big goals
Poland answered, but always ‘almost’. In the 75th minute, a great move by Zalewski in the Portuguese area, the ball went to Buksa who simulated the shot so much that he hit the wall with his feet when he kicked it. He then beat Renato Veiga.
Roberto Martínez’s changes at half-time paid off. In the 80th minute, Vitinha sped through the middle, tripping Bruno Fernandes who took advantage of the space they gave him to fire a shot. ‘bomb’ from outside the area, scoring a great goal.
Bruno opened the season of ‘jibs’ as it were, three minutes later Pedro Neto shows that he also knows: a pass from Cristiano Ronaldo, observing the clearance of the winger, who, with his worst foot (right), a very difficult shot, without much angle, scoring another great goal. Guardian Bulka didn’t even see the ball.
At that point, Dragão asked for one more and since Cristiano Ronaldo does not like to be left behind when trying to score an artistic goal, he decided scored the best goal of the night, in the 87th minute: the center of Vitinha, kick the captain’s bike for the biggest explosion of joy on a cold and rainy Dragão night. 5-0.
The goal of the honor of Poland arrived in the 89th minute, without further attention from the Portuguese defense: Nuno Tavares, who made his debut, tried to play inside the area, to pass to burn it to Vitinha who lost the ball. He used Marczuk to, in the second, finally beat Diogo Costa.
In the other group, Scotland beat Croatia 1-0, a result that allows Portugal to secure, from now on, first place in Group A1. Portugal now lead by 13 points – six more than Croatia.
The Croats, who play the Portuguese team on Monday, in Split, are in danger of the next stage. They are in second place, they have an advantage in the direct confrontation with Poland, in third place, with four points, but not with Scotland, in fourth place, also with four points. If Croatia loses to Portugal and Scotland wins against Poland, the Scots go second.
Already guaranteed first place, Portugal have been drawn for the quarter-finals, scheduled for November 22, and already know they will play the first leg away from home and the second one at home.
What led to Portugal’s impressive 5-0 victory over Poland in the quarter-finals?
Tistic goal, he delivered in the 88th minute with a stunning bicycle kick. The crowd erupted as Ronaldo celebrated, demonstrating his enduring talent even at the age of 38. The match ended with a resounding 5-0 victory for Portugal, bolstering their confidence as they advanced to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Portugal’s win highlighted their offensive prowess, particularly in the second half, where they showcased quick passes and strategic plays. Despite a shaky start and concerns in defense, the team adapted well after halftime, igniting their performance thanks to key players like Rafael Leão and Bruno Fernandes.
Diogo Costa’s remarkable saves and strong command of the box ensured that Poland remained goalless, amidst their best attempts to capitalize on counter-attacks. The situation was compounded for Poland, already dealing with injuries to pivotal players including Robert Lewandowski and Bartosz Bereszyński. Their defense, weakened as a result, struggled to contain the Portuguese attack.
Moving forward, Portugal will look to build on this performance, addressing defensive concerns and maintaining their attacking momentum as they face Croatia in the next round. The anticipation grows for what promises to be an exciting match, with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the charge for his team.