Portugal kicked off their UEFA Nations League 2024 campaign with an impressive 2-1 win over Croatia on Thursday at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (da Luz).
Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot opened the scoring for the Portuguese side before Cristiano Ronaldo doubled his team’s advantage by scoring his 900th career goal in the 34th minute of the game.
Croatia came back into the game with Dalot scoring an own goal in the 41st minute, however, Portugal managed to keep them at bay for the rest of the game to earn a 2-1 win. Here are Player Ratings from this clash!
Portugal National Football Team Player Ratings vs Croatia
Goalkeeper
Diogo Costa – 7.5/10 – Made four saves, but couldn’t do much for the goal conceded.
Defenders
Diogo Dalot – 7/10 – Scored Portugal’s opening goal, but couldn’t do much about the own-goal scored late in the first half. Was decent overall.
Ruben Dias – 7/10 – Was comfortable in dealing with any Croatian threat when called into action. Kept Kramaric and Modric at bay.
Goncalo Inacio – 6.5/10 – Couldn’t win any aerial duels against the strength of Kramaric and was substituted later in the game.
Nuno Mendes – 7.5/10 – Provided the assist for Ronaldo’s goal scored in the 34th minute. Was solid overall, especially against the likes of Pasalic.
Midfielders
Vitinha – 7.5/10 – Played 89 minutes, created one big chance, and was key in playing a defensive midfielder’s role whenever called upon due to the forward-moving tendencies of Bruno Fernandes as well as Bernardo Silva.
Bruno Fernandes – 7.5/10 – Played the full game and assisted his club teammate Diogo Dalot for the first goal of the game. Was industrious as usual.
Bernardo Silva – 7/10 – A menace on the right side, especially with his silky touches and passing vision. Was steady in creating opportunities in tight spaces.
Forwards
Rafael Leao – 6.5/10 – Completed every pass that he attempted during his time on the pitch and was innovative on the right side, linking up well with Vitinha. Played just 45 minutes.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 8/10 – Became the first player in football history to score 900 goals for club and country with his strike in the 34th minute of the game. Ronaldo featured for 88 minutes.
Neto – 6/10 – Needed more playing time with Ronaldo to adjust his own playing style, especially considering Diogo Jota was already nailed on for that spot.
Substitutes
Nelson Semedo – 6.5/10
Joao Neves – 7/10
Antonio Silva – 6/10
Diogo Jota – N/A
Pedro Goncalves – N/A
Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first footballer ever to score 900 career goals
Croatia National Football Team Player Ratings vs Portugal
Goalkeeper
Dominik Livakovic – 6/10 – Made four saves, and conceded goals that he could have done better on.
Defenders
Josip Sutalo – 7.5/10 – Was a rock at the back in Croatia’s three-man defence and dealt with the threat of Rafael Leao pretty easily, leading to the Portuguese star’s expulsion at half-time
Marin Pongracic – 5/10 – Wasn’t effective and hands-on in dealing with most of Cristiano Ronaldo’s threat down the centre. Was hooked off at half-time.
Josko Gvardiol – 7/10 – The Manchester City man was very alert to the threat posed by Pedro Neto, Bernardo Silva as well as Joao Neves in the second half.
Midfielders
Kristijan Jakic – 7.5/10 – The Augsburg star played on the right of a five-man midfield and as expected, he defended more than contributing to the attack from wide. However, he did well in providing cover to Sutalo.
Mario Pasalic – 7/10 – The central-midfielder showcased a 90% pass completion rate and won four out of the four tackles he attempted on Portugal players.
Mateo Kovacic – 7.5/10 – Best player on the pitch for Croatia alongside Sutalo and Jakic. The Manchester City star had a 98% passing accuracy and won 100% of his attempted tackles.
Martin Baturina – 5.5/10 – Was substituted just beyond the hour mark as he was ineffective in helping Croatia penetrate through Portugal’s midfield.
Borna Sosa – 7/10 – A pretty good performance by the 26-year-old, dealing with the majority of the threat posed by Bernardo Silva.
Luka Modric – 6.5/10 – The Real Madrid legend was his usual industrious best, however, played a bit higher than usual. Played 77 minutes and helped Croatia tick.
Forwards
Andrej Kramaric – 6.5/10 – Did his best with whatever little possession he received throughout the 90 minutes that he played. Took four shots and created a solitary chance.
Substitutes
Duje Caleta-Car – 6.5/10
Igor Matanovic – 6/10
Luka Sucic – 6/10
Peter Sucic – 6.5/10
Ivan Perisic – 6.5/10
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