Portugal delivered a commanding 5-1 victory over Poland, with Cristiano Ronaldoscoring and putting on a stellar performance at Estádio do Dragão. The win on Matchday 5 of Group 1A of the UEFA Nations League ensures Roberto Martínez’s squad advances to the next round with ease.
With the victory, Portugal remains unbeaten in the competition, now sitting atop the group with 13 points, solidifying their position as one of the top contenders for the title.
The match was tightly contested in the first half but turned in Portugal’s favor after the break. Rafael Leão opened the scoring with a crucial goal early in the second half, giving the home team the momentum they needed. From there, Portugal took full control, capitalizing on their offensive chances and exposing Poland’s defensive vulnerabilities.
FULL TIME! PORTUGAL CRUSH POLAND 5-1!
With a brace and a great performance by Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal secured first place in their group.
89'- DOMINIK MARCZIUK SCORES FOR POLAND! (5-1)
Marczuk scores a great goal to give Poland its first goal of the game.
87- CRISTIANO RONALDO SCORES ANOTHER ONE! (5-0)
Cristiano Ronaldo scores a great bicycle kick for Portugal's fifth goal.
82'- PEDRO NETO SCORES THE FOURTH ONE! (4-0)
Pedro Neto scored the fourth goal of the game after a great assist from Cristiano Ronaldo
79'- BRUNO FERNANDES SCORES A GREAT GOAL! (3-0)
Bruno Fernandes scores a stunning goal from outside the box to give Portugal a 3-0 lead.
73'- Poland make another substitution (2-0)
Poland's Kacper Urbanski left the field to be replaced by Adam Buksa.
71' - CRISTIANO RONALDO SCORES FROM THE PENALTY SPOT! (2-0)
Cristiano Ronaldo scored Portugal's second goal from the penalty spot to take the lead.
69' - Poland fail to recover after goal (1-0)
Poland can't keep the ball and Portugal seems to be closer to the second goal
58'- RAFAEL LEAO SCORES! (1-0)
Rafael Leao headed the first goal of the game from Nuno Mendes' cross to give Portugal the lead.
57' - Yellow card for Bulka (0-0)
Poland goalkeeper Marcin Bulka was shown the yellow card for time-keeping.
56' - The match remains goalless (0-0)
Both teams are doing a good job defensively and there is no difference in the match.
46'- Replacements in both teams (0-0)
In Poland, Mateusz Bogusz and Jan Bednarek were replaced by Sebastian Walukiewicz and Dominik Marczuk.
In Portugal, Joao Neves was replaced by Vitinha.
SECOND HALF UNDERWAY (0-0)
The game is on again in Porto!
Halftime! (0-0)
The game goes to halftime with Poland being a little more offensive than Portugal.
45' +2 - Yellow card for Crisitano Ronaldo (0-0)
Cristiano Ronaldo was cautioned after complaining about a penalty that the referee did not award.
45' - Cristiano Ronaldo misses a huge chance! (0-0)
Cristiano Ronaldo misses a great chance in the six-yard box after a pass from Rafael Leao.
42' - First chance for Portugal (0-0)
Portugal had their first chance of the match when Rafael Leao's header went over the goal.
37' - Poland almost scored! (0-0)
A great shot outside the box from Piatek that goes just wide of Diogo Costa's post.
32' - First substitution of the game (0-0)
Poland's first substitution of the match, Bartosz Bereszyński comes off with an injury and Jakub Kaminski takes his place.
25' - Yellow card for Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves (0-0)
The referee cautioned Bruno Fernandes, who will miss the next match due to accumulation of cards.
Joao Neves also received a yellow card and is the second of the match.
22' - Cristiano Ronaldo misses a free-kick (0-0)
Cristiano Ronaldo had a good chance from a free-kick but the ball went over the goal.
21' - Match remains goalless (0-0)
Poland are defending very well and Portugal are unable to get forward in attack.
11' - Diogo Costa saved Portugal! (0-0)
A good team move ended in a cross that was headed in by Bartosz Bereszyński but Diogo Costa caught the ball easily.
6' - A hard-fought start (0-0)
Although Portugal controlled the ball, the start is very even and neither team had a clear chance.
KICK-OFF! (0-0)
Portugal and Poland are playing at Estádio do Dragão!
All ready for Portugal vs Poland!
The teams are warming up and the game will kick-off in a few minutes!
Group A1 standings
Portugal sit at the top of the Group 1A standings with 10 points after the first four matchdays. Close behind is Croatia with 7 points, while Poland follow with 4 points, and Scotland round out the group with just 1 point.
Track record between Portugal and Poland
The two teams have faced off 14 times in their history, with Portugal showcasing their dominance by securing six victories. Poland has managed to come out on top three times, while the other five matchups ended in draws.
In their last game, Portugal secured a 3-1 victory over Poland in Warsaw.
Today’s stage: Estádio do Dragão
Portugal will host Poland at Estádio do Dragão, FC Porto's home stadium since 2003. It has a seating capacity of 50,033, making it the third largest football stadium in Portugal.
The last time Portugal played here was in 2023, where Cristiano Ronaldo's team secured a 3-2 victory against Slovakia in a friendly match.
An inside view of Estadio do Dragao.
Poland's line-up confirmed!
Poland's line-up is confirmed and they will be without Robert Lewandowski, who suffered an injury with FC Barcelona.
Michał Probierz's line-up: Marcin Bulka; Kamil Piatkowski, Jan Bednarek, Jakub Kiwior; Bartosz Bereszynski, Sebastian Szymariski, Taras Romanczuk, Piotr Zielinski, Nicola Zalewski; Krzysztof Piatek, Kacper Urbanski.
Is Cristiano Ronaldo playing today? Portugal's line-up confirmed!
Cristiano Ronaldo is in the starting line-up! Roberto Martinez's confirmed lineup:
Diogo Costa; Diogo Dalot, Antonio Silva, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva; Pedro Neto, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Leão.
Today's referee
Lithuanian DonatasRumšas will officiate today's clash between Portugal and Poland.
Referee: Donatas Rumšas (LTU)
Assistant 1: Aleksandr Radio (LTU)
Assistant 2: Dovydas Sužiedėlis (LTU)
Fourth official: Robertas Valikonis (LTU)
VAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
AVAR: Donatas Šimenas (LTU)
Kick-off time and how to watch
The clash between Portugal and Poland for the Matchday 5 of 2024-25 UEFA Nations League will kick off at 2:45 PM (ET).
