Cristiano Ronaldo's late goal secured a 2-1 victory for Portugal against Scotland, marking the 901st goal in the striker's remarkable career and completing a thrilling comeback in the Nations League match on Sunday.
Ronaldo had previously reached the milestone of 900 career
goals with his 131st international goal during Thursday's win over Croatia.
The 39-year-old displayed no signs of complacency following
this achievement, coming off the bench to propel Portugal to their second
consecutive win in Nations League Group A1.
The crowd at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon erupted in cheers as
the Al-Nassr forward found the net with just two minutes remaining. On his 30th
birthday, Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes equalized for Portugal in the
second half after Scott McTominay had given Scotland an unexpected early lead.
For Portugal's coach, Roberto Martinez, this victory over
Scotland may lead to some uncomfortable moments at his next family gathering,
as he met his wife Beth while playing for Motherwell in 2001.
He humorously remarked before the match about the joy of
potentially disappointing his father-in-law with a win over Scotland, which he
accomplished, leaving Scotland still searching for their first victory against
Portugal.
After losing 3-2 to Poland at Hampden Park on Thursday,
Scotland has managed only one win in their last 14 matches, a dismal stretch
that included their failure to advance from the group stage at Euro 2024.
Under Steve Clarke, Scotland has lost six of their nine
matches in 2024, with their sole victory coming in a friendly against Gibraltar
in June.
Scotland took an early lead in the seventh minute when Kenny
McLean delivered a brilliant cross to McTominay, who executed a well-timed run
to head the ball past Diogo Costa from close range.
McTominay, who recently transferred from Manchester United
to Napoli, has scored 10 goals in his last 12 competitive appearances for
Scotland. Rafael Leao nearly equalized immediately with a powerful run, but his
shot hit the side-netting.
Leao advanced further as he cut in from the left side,
unleashing a powerful shot that Angus Gunn managed to deflect at full stretch.
Antonio Silva squandered a chance set up by Leao, heading over from the AC
Milan forward’s delicate cross.
As Portugal intensified their attack, Gunn made a remarkable
save after Diogo Jota connected with Fernandes’s sharp pass. It was expected
that Ronaldo would be introduced for the second half, and his presence
immediately enhanced Portugal's performance.
In the 53rd minute, Fernandes unleashed a long-range shot
from 25 yards that should have been a straightforward save for Gunn, but his
feeble attempt allowed the ball to slip into the net.
Ronaldo's clever backheel set up Joao Felix for a scoring
opportunity, but Gunn redeemed himself with a superb save. He then stopped
Felix’s diving header before Ronaldo struck the rebound against the post.
Ronaldo believed he had secured the win, but his glancing
header hit the post and was cleared off the line by Gunn before Felix could
capitalize.
Portugal's late push finally yielded a goal in the 88th
minute when Nuno Mendes delivered a cross into the six-yard area, where Ronaldo
was positioned to finish with a classic tap-in.