Cristiano Ronaldo‘s late strike sealed Portugal’s 2-1 win over Scotland as the 901st goal of the striker’s extraordinary career completed a stirring fightback in Sunday’s Nations League clash. Ronaldo had reached 900 career goals with his 131st international strike in Thursday’s victory over Croatia. The 39-year-old showed no signs of being sated by that incredible milestone as he came off the bench to lift Portugal to their second successive win in Nations League Group A1. The Estadio da Luz in Lisbon rose in unison to chant the relentless Al-Nassr forward’s name after he struck with two minutes to play.

On his 30th birthday, Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes fired Portugal’s second half equaliser after his former Old Trafford team-mate Scott McTominay gave Scotland a surprise early lead.

For Portugal boss Roberto Martinez, victory over Scotland could mean some awkward silences at his next family gathering.

Martinez met his wife Beth while playing for Scottish club Motherwell in 2001 and joked before the match he would be delighted to upset his father-in-law by beating Scotland.

He did exactly that, leaving Scotland still waiting for their first win over Portugal.

Beaten 3-2 by Poland at Hampden Park on Thursday, Scotland have won just once in 14 matches, a barren sequence that included their lacklustre failure to make it out of the group stage at Euro 2024.

Steve Clarke’s men have lost six of their nine matches in 2024, with their only victory coming in a friendly against Gibraltar in June.

“When you bring quality players from the bench like Roberto can do you always know there’s a risk,” Clarke said.

“I’m really disappointed for my players because I think they deserved to get something from the game.

“But with the amount of balls that go into the box, you know one of them can go in the back of the net and that’s what happened to us.”

Ronaldo late show

Scotland took a shock lead in the seventh minute when Kenny McLean’s superb cross picked out McTominay, who made a perfectly-timed run to plant his stooping header past Diogo Costa from six yards.

McTominay, who recently moved from United to Napoli, has 10 goals in his last 12 competitive appearances for Scotland.

Rafael Leao threatened an immediate equaliser with a driving run but his shot rippled into the side-netting.

Leao went even closer as he cut in from the left flank for a fierce drive that Angus Gunn pushed away at full stretch.

Antonio Silva wasted a chance created by Leao as he headed over from the AC Milan forward’s dinked cross.

As the Portugal pressure mounted, Gunn made a fine save after Diogo Jota connected with Fernandes’s incisive pass.

It was no surprise to see Ronaldo sent on for the second half and Portugal were immediately improved by his presence.

Taking aim from long-range in the 53rd minute, Fernandes’s 25-yard blast should have been routine for Gunn but his weak attempted save allowed the ball to squirm into the net.

Ronaldo’s audacious backheel gave Joao Felix a sight of goal, only for Gunn to make amends for his earlier error with an excellent stop.

Gunn saved again from Felix’s diving header before Ronaldo turned the rebound against the post.

In the next attack, Ronaldo’s glancing header hit the post and was clawed off the line by Gunn before Felix could convert. 

Portugal’s late surge finally produced the winner in the 88th minute.

Nuno Mendes whipped a cross into the six-yard box, where Ronaldo was lurking to deliver the knockout blow with a typically predatory tap-in.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the top-scoring player in professional football history© AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo has kept his place in the Portugal squad for next month’s UEFA Nations games against Croatia and Scotland despite an ineffective display at Euro 2024. The 39-year-old failed to score as he appeared at a record sixth European Championship, with Portugal exiting in the quarter-finals, but he retains the backing of coach Roberto Martinez. “When I quit the national team, I won’t tell anyone in advance… At the moment what I want is to be able to help the Selecao,” Ronaldo said in an interview with Portuguese TV this week.

Ronaldo has started the new season with four goals in as many games for Saudi side Al-Nassr and is likely to continue to lead the Portugal attack with Paris Saint-Germain striker Goncalo Ramos sidelined by an ankle injury.

While veteran defender Pepe announced his retirement from football at the age of 41 earlier this month, Martinez is looking to the future with Friday’s call-up of 17-year-old Sporting Lisbon winger Geovany Quenda.

Chelsea left-back Renato Veiga and Lille defender Tiago Santos are other new faces in the squad for the games against Croatia and Scotland on September 5 and 8 in Lisbon.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Jose Sa (Wolves/ENG), Rui Silva (Real Betis/ESP)

Defenders: Ruben Dias (Manchester City/ENG), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Renato Veiga (Chelsea/ENG), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting Lisbon), Tiago Santos (Lille/FRA), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United/ENG), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Nelson Semedo (Wolves/ENG)

Midfielders: Joao Palhinha (Fulham/ENG), Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United/ENG), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City/ENG), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal/KSA)

Forwards: Joao Felix (Chelsea/ENG), Francisco Trincao (Sporting Lisbon), Pedro Goncalves (Sporting Lisbon), Rafael Leao (AC Milan/ITA), Geovany Quenda (Sporting Lisbon), Pedro Neto (Chelsea/ENG), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr/KSA), Diogo Jota (Liverpool/ENG)

A superb Spain team led by Rodri and Lamine Yamal were fitting winners of Euro 2024 after lighting up an often disappointing tournament in which too many of the continent’s star players failed to produce their best form. Kylian Mbappe, the world’s best striker, had been hoping to prepare for joining Real Madrid by captaining France to glory but broke his nose and scored just once, from a penalty, as his team lost in the semi-finals. Jude Bellingham, who will play with Mbappe in Madrid next season, might have been the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or had he added the Euros with England to the Champions League with his club.

But Bellingham had a poor campaign aside from two vital goals, tiring early in games and proving incapable of swinging Sunday’s final in Berlin England’s way.

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, had hoped to add to his tournament record 14 goals but failed to score for Portugal as age finally caught up with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Spain needed a late Mikel Oyarzabal goal to beat England 2-1 in the final and win their fourth Euros, but they were comfortably the best side from the beginning of the competition.

Luis de la Fuente’s team won all seven games. They beat the reigning champions, Italy, and in their last three matches saw off the host nation and the two pre-tournament favourites.

It is a remarkable feat to defeat all of the biggest four Western European nations — Germany, France, Italy and England — at the same competition.

“We have made history. We have beaten four (former) world champions all in one go,” savoured Rodri.

“We are all agreed that they are the team who have played the best football at the tournament,” France midfielder Adrien Rabiot said of Spain before his side lost to them in the semis.

Spain’s victory builds on the promise shown when they won the Nations League last year and raises hopes of another golden period of dominance.

They thrilled with a perfect blend of control in midfield and flair on the wings, while other teams failed to meet expectations.

Quantity over quality?

Euro 2024 ended with 117 goals scored in 51 matches, an average of 2.29 goals per game.

England reached the final, but their 0-0 group-stage draw with Slovenia was an eyesore, while a Portugal team full of outstanding talent went home after playing in two laborious goalless knockout ties that were decided on penalties.

The average number of goals scored contrasted with the 2.78 per match at Euro 2020, and 2.69 at the 2022 World Cup.

The latter tournament in Qatar was often thrilling, the quality of football apparently helped by the decision to stage the competition in the middle of the European season.

Euro 2024, meanwhile, has come at the end of another exhausting campaign for the continent’s best players, making it hard for Bellingham or Mbappe, Harry Kane or Antoine Griezmann, to find peak form.

That strikes to the heart of the matter at a time when UEFA and FIFA continue to expand their most lucrative competitions, increasing demands on players.

Global players’ union FIFPro announced just before the Euros began that it had filed a legal claim against FIFA, calling on the European Court of Justice to rule on the body’s right to impose new tournaments.

“Players and their unions have consistently highlighted the current football calendar as overloaded and unworkable,” FIFPro warned, accusing FIFA of “violating the rights of players”.

The season in Europe’s biggest leagues begins in a month, and the expanded Champions League starts in September, with participants now having eight guaranteed games instead of six previously.

The first version of FIFA’s new Club World Cup will go ahead in the United States next June and July, with 32 participating teams including 12 from Europe.

The likes of Manchester City, Madrid and Bayern Munich will be involved, and that will eat into a precious summer break ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which with 48 teams will feature an extra knockout round.

Again more games will generate more money but only increase the demands on players.

The concern is that a constant focus on quantity will have a lasting impact on quality, but there can be no doubting the brilliance of this Spain side.

Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal’s defeat against France in Euro 2024.© AFP

Former England forward and Arsenal great Ian Wright believes that Portugal’s iconic forward Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer “cut” to play at the top level. Ronaldo and Portugal’s campaign in the Euro 2024 ended after France handed them a defeat in penalties in the quarter-final. After his prolific season with Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, goals were expected from the Portuguese goal-scoring machine. However, for the first time in his illustrious career, Ronaldo failed to score a single goal in a major competition.

After Portugal crashed out of the tournament, speculation has been building around the future of Ronaldo at the international level.

Wright believes that with the way Ronaldo performed throughout the tournament, his compatriot Diogo Jota would be disappointed about not getting enough opportunity to not get time on the pitch.

“Portugal should be very disappointed about that [going out of EURO 2024] simply because of how good their team is – when you look at them from defence to attack. The way he [Cristiano Ronaldo] played in EURO 2024, as great as he’s been, surely Diogo Jota must be disappointed that he couldn’t get on that pitch,” Wright said on Sky Sports’ Stick to Football: The Overlap Special as quoted from Goal.com.

“What I saw of him [Cristiano Ronaldo], he can’t cut it at this level now. As good as he is, as fit as he is, as driven as he is, you can see he just can’t quite get it out of his feet to get a shot in, the movement with a header, he can’t get past a defender now,” he added.

Ronaldo’s teammate during his time at Manchester United, Roy Keane, believes that the seasoned striker should take a break from international football and assess his situation when World Cup 2026 is around the corner.

“He [Cristiano Ronaldo] should have a break and step back from international football, and if he’s still playing at club level, then have a look at the World Cup when it comes around. We look at [Harry] Kane when Kane’s quite off it, and your main goal scorers not at it, you’re playing with ten men. When you’re playing at the highest level, you really can’t carry anybody. His [Cristiano Ronaldo] movement is still there – against France, brilliant,” Keane noted.

Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal were knocked out of Euro 2024 by France.© AFP

Have football fans seen the last of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portugal shirt? The team’s departure from Euro 2024 at the quarter-final stage has had many wondering if Ronaldo would hang up his boots at the international stage after the tournament. Ronaldo didn’t look at his best the entire tournament and even failed to register a single goal or assist before the team’s exit. However, a report has claimed that Ronaldo isn’t willing to quit international football just yet. In fact, he is determined to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and bring the trophy home.

Ronaldo had an insipid Euro 2024 campaign that saw him contribute little to the team’s goals. Portugal reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, thanks to their goalkeeper Diogo Costa’s heroics in the penalty shootout after Ronaldo missed a penalty, putting the team in danger of elimination.

Even the quarter-final clash against France saw the team struggle in front of goal, forcing the match into another penalty shootout where Les Bleus emerged triumphant.

But, as per a report in Relevo, it isn’t all over for Ronaldo just yet. As per the publication, Ronaldo has his eyes on the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In fact, he also wants to become the first player in history to appear and score in six editions of the flagship competition.

Ronaldo came into the Euro 2024 on the back of a prolific season for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, scoring 50 goals in all competitions but his gameplay couldn’t assist Portugal in front of the goal.

After Portugal’s quarter-final win against Slovenia, Ronaldo did admit that this would be his last European Championship.

“Initial sadness and joy at the end, that’s what football gives you. These are inexplicable moments. I had the chance to put the national team ahead and I didn’t manage it. Oblak made a good save. I had to review the penalty, I don’t know if I shot well or badly, but during the year I didn’t miss a single time and when I needed it most, Oblak saved it. The most important thing is to enjoy qualifying, the team did an extraordinary job, we fought until the end and if you analyse the match well, Portugal deserved it because they had more chances,” he said.

A clear indication from the iconic footballer on his international future, however, is yet to come.

Theo Hernandez scored the winning kick as Kylian Mbappe‘s France edged a tense Euro 2024 quarter-final clash with Portugal 5-3 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes on Friday in what will likely be remembered as Cristiano Ronaldo‘s last-ever match at the tournament. France were successful with all their penalties as they advance to a last-four showdown with Spain, while Portugal’s Joao Felix was the only player to miss, sending his team’s third kick against the post. It is overdue success in a shoot-out for France after they lost the 2022 World Cup final on penalties to Argentina and went out of the last Euros three years ago in the same way, against Switzerland in the last 16. They also lost on penalties in the last major tournament in Germany, going down to Italy in the final of the 2006 World Cup.

Mbappe, who missed the crucial kick against the Swiss, was already off the pitch by the time this shoot-out came around, having been replaced by Bardley Barcola midway through extra time.

Barcola, Ousmane Dembele, Youssouf Fofana and Jules Kounde also scored from the spot for France.

Mbappe endured a frustrating evening as he continues to search for his best form in the competition but appears inhibited while wearing a mask to protect the nose he broke against Austria in France’s opening game.

At least he will get another chance to star in the semi-final, while Ronaldo, at 39, appears to have played at a Euros for the last time.

This has been his sixth European Championship, but he failed to add to his tournament record tally of 14 goals in Germany after misfiring in all of Portugal’s five matches.

He scored his penalty, Portugal’s first, but Roberto Martinez’s team go out having failed to find the net in over six hours of football.

They beat Slovenia on penalties in the last 16 after a goalless draw, but this time fell short in what was a disappointing game in Hamburg.

Neither of these teams had played anywhere close to their potential in their previous games at the tournament, but especially France, who got this far without any of their players scoring a goal in open play.

Randal Kolo Muani’s reward for coming off the bench to force the late own goal which allowed Les Bleus to beat Belgium in the last round was a place in the starting line-up.

Eduardo Camavinga also came in, replacing the suspended Adrien Rabiot in midfield, while Antoine Griezmann was deployed as a number 10 behind Kolo Muani and Mbappe.

France have been happy to sit off teams and rely on an excellent defence, while also struggling to play with any real intensity when in possession.

They had less of the ball in this game, an often disappointing contest, which did briefly come to life in the second half.

Portugal began to cause problems with runners getting into the box from midfield, first when Bruno Fernandes had a shot saved by Mike Maignan just after the hour mark.

Vitinha was next to try his luck moments later as he got on the end of Rafael Leao’s low centre. Maignan, determined not to concede a first goal in open play at the competition, saved his shot and reacted quickly to stop Ronaldo back-heeling the ball in from close range.

France responded as Kolo Muani played a one-two with Kounde and went for goal, only for a vital Ruben Dias interception to save Portugal.

Deschamps then withdrew Antoine Griezmann and sent on Dembele, who wasted no time in setting up a golden chance for Camavinga which the midfielder put wide.

After that, the game began to drift inevitably towards extra time, in which Ronaldo squandered a good opportunity from substitute Francisco Conceicao’s cutback.

That was more than Mbappe managed, and France’s captain watched the end of extra time from the bench, as Maignan denied Nuno Mendes at the very end of 120 minutes and penalties followed.

The shoot-out unfolded at the Portugal end of the Volksparkstadion, with Maignan not managing to make a save but not needing to.

Portugal’s Diogo Costa saved three Slovenia penalties in the last round, but could not stop any this time.

Portugal vs France, UEFA Euro 2024 Quarterfinal LIVE Updates© AFP