9 september 2024 : Cristiano Ronaldo proved his value to Portugal with a dramatic late winner in their 2-1 victory over Scotland. Substituted in the second half with Portugal trailing 0-1, Ronaldo quickly made his presence felt by hitting both posts and being a constant threat.
After Scotland’s Scott McTominay opened the scoring in the 7th minute, Portugal equalized with a goal from Bruno Fernandes in the 54th minute. With the match tied at 1-1 in the 88th minute, left-back Nuno Mendes delivered a low cross that deflected off Diogo Jota’s foot and fell to Ronaldo. With the goalkeeper out of position, Ronaldo easily tapped in the winner.
Bruno Fernandes praised Ronaldo’s impact, noting, “His influence is always the same, whether he starts or comes off the bench. Cristiano scored his 901st goal today and is on track for a thousand, which is his goal.”
Portugal now leads League A Group 1 with six points, following their opening win over Croatia. Scotland, who have lost both of their matches, are still without a point. Scotland’s previous match ended in a 2-3 defeat to Poland, with McTominay’s first-half goal being their highlight against Portugal. Despite numerous attempts and outstanding saves from Scotland’s Angus Gunn, Portugal eventually broke through with Fernandes’ goal before Ronaldo’s decisive strike.