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Ronaldo Saves Portugal and Secures Victory Against Scotland

Al-Nassr’s star, Cristiano Ronaldo, who came on as a substitute at the start of the second half, saved his country from a potential draw by scoring the winning goal, making it 2-1 against Scotland just two minutes before the end of the match. The match was part of the Group A fixtures in the first tier of the UEFA Nations League.

Portugal’s Spanish coach, Roberto Martínez, opted not to start Ronaldo, preferring Liverpool’s forward Diogo Jota in the central striker position. Jota was supported up front by AC Milan’s Rafael Leão on the left wing and Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva on the right.

Scotland stunned the hosts early on, with Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay opening the scoring just 7 minutes into the game. McTominay took advantage of a well-executed free kick, slipping behind the Portuguese defense to calmly slot the ball into the net.

Despite Portugal’s repeated attempts, they struggled to break through Scotland’s defense and went into halftime still trailing 1-0.

Ronaldo came on at the start of the second half, replacing Pedro Neto, and Portugal quickly equalized when Leão delivered a well-placed pass to Bruno Fernandes, who calmly finished in the net (51’), marking his 24th goal in 73 international appearances.

Fernandes also celebrated his 30th birthday in style, reaching a personal milestone of 600 career appearances for both club and country.

Ronaldo scored the winning goal after receiving a perfect pass from Nuno Mendes. He slotted the ball past the keeper, bringing his international tally to an impressive 132 goals in 212 appearances for Portugal.

In the same group, Croatia defeated Poland with a single goal scored by their captain and midfield maestro Luka Modrić in the 52nd minute.

Notable Victory for Spain

After a disappointing start to the competition, drawing 0-0 with Serbia in the first round, Spain bounced back with a convincing win over Switzerland in Geneva.

Spain’s midfielder Rodri returned to the squad after serving a suspension, and he captained the team in the absence of injured striker Álvaro Morata. Dani Olmo was also unavailable due to a minor injury sustained in the Serbia match..

Spain made an explosive start to the match. Rising star Lamine Yamal, one of the breakout talents from the recent European Championship, started a solo run before delivering an accurate cross that was met by Al-Gharafa’s striker Joselu, who headed the ball past Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel (4’).

Spain doubled their lead when the other winger, Nico Williams, fired a powerful shot that Kobel couldn’t handle, allowing Fabián Ruiz to score the rebound (13’).

However, Spain faced a major setback when central defender Robin Le Normand was shown a red card for a foul on Breel Embolo (20’), leaving Spain to play with ten men from the 20th minute onward.

Switzerland managed to reduce the deficit through Mohamed Zeki Amdouni, who scored four minutes before the end of the first half.

Despite continuous pressure from Switzerland in the second half, Spain held firm and sealed the win with two late goals. Fabián Ruiz found the net again, converting a cross in the 77th minute, before Ferran Torres finished a one-on-one chance after a well-timed through ball from Joselu in the 80th minute.

In the same group, Denmark continued their strong form, recording their second consecutive victory by defeating Serbia 2-0. The Danes now top the group with maximum points, while Spain sits in second place with four points.

Denmark has been a tough force at home, maintaining an unbeaten streak in their last 13 matches, including a 2-0 win over Switzerland in their opening fixture in Copenhagen..

Their next major challenge will come when they face reigning European champions Spain in Murcia on October 12th for the third round, followed by a return fixture in Copenhagen a month later.

The group winners and runners-up will advance to the quarterfinals, while the third-placed teams will enter a playoff with the second-tier runners-up. The teams finishing last in their groups will be relegated to the second tier.

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