Portugal 5-1 Poland Player Ratings: Ronaldo and Fernandes headline Portugal’s onslaught

Portugal demolished Poland with a 5-1 win on matchday 5 of the UEFA Nations League, with the victory confirming the home side’s place in the quarter-finals. Surprisingly, Portugal started the game on the back foot, with Poland keeping them quiet while creating a few promising opportunities. However, the momentum swung in Selecaos’ way after the break when Rafael Leao scored a stunning goal for the opener after a devastating counter-attack.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot shortly after, setting off the Portuguese onslaught. Bruno Fernandes scored a belter of strike from outside the box after catching Poland on the break before Ronaldo netted a bicycle kick for his second of the game as well as Portugal’s fourth. Pedro Neto joined the goal-fest with a brilliant right-footed strike into the near post, whereas Poland pulled off a consolation goal through Dominik Marczuk.

Sitting at the top of their group with 13 points, Roberto Martinez’s men sealed their place in the last eight of the Nations League while Poland are languishing at the third after enduring a lacklustre tournament.

Portugal Player Ratings vs Poland

Goalkeeper

Diogo Costa: 6/10 – Produced a great save against substitute Dominik Marczuk but couldn’t do much when the Polish star scored towards the end.

Defenders

Nuno Mendes: 7/10 Made a massive last-ditch clearance against Bereszynski’s shot, which was travelling into the empty net. Combined brilliantly with Leao before producing a sublime ball for the former’s strike.

Renato Veiga: 6/10 – Veiga enjoyed a great game as a centre-back, showcasing his passing range as well as relishing his duels with Piatek. However, his slight lapse led to Poland’s consolation goal

Antonio Silva: 7/10 – Smothered Piatek for the majority of the game with his tight marking. Held his own in the defence, blocking Bogusz’s cross in a dangerous-looking counter.

Diogo Dalot: 6/10 – Inadvertently blocked Zielinski’s cross, sending it out of the play. Put in a great shift in the defence.

Midfielders

Joao Neves: 5/10 – Failed to make a big impact in the first half except for receiving a yellow card. Was hauled off at half-time for his PSG team-mate Vitinha.

Bruno Fernandes: 7/10 – Looked slightly off-colour for a while before coming into his own in the second half. Scored an absolute screamer from outside the box, blasting the nets.

Bernardo Silva: 7/10 – Another solid outing for the Manchester City midfielder, who created 1 big chance and clocked up a passing accuracy of 90 %. He was defensively good as well, winning 5 duels.

Attackers

Rafael Leao: 7/10 – Started with a whimper but exploded in the second half. Set the tone for Portugal’s onslaught by bursting forward on a fiery counter-attack before finishing the move on his own with a great header.

Pedro Neto: 7/10 – Was a constant threat down the right flank with his progression and crossing. Also tracked back to shore up the defence. Capped off an impressive performance by blasting home a right-footed strike.

Cristiano Ronaldo: 8/10 – The Portuguese goal-machine showcased his calmness from the penalty spot and made the night even more special with a great over-the-head kick for his second goal. Also set up Neto’s strike with an inch-perfect pass with his weaker foot.

Substitutes

Vitinha: 6/10 – Changed the course of the game since his introduction, bringing a revived energy into the team. Set up Ronaldo’s bicycle kick. Was also robbed of the possession for Poland’s consolation strike.

Francisco Trincao: N/A

Nuno Tavares: N/A

Joao Felix: N/A

Samu Costa: N/A

Manager

Roberto Martinez: Martinez’s half-time tinkering worked wonders as the introduction of Vitinha marked a shift in Portugal’s momentum. In the second half, the Portuguese showed more ruthlessness by sticking to their strength, which was counter-attacks.

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Poland Player Ratings vs Portugal

Goalkeeper

Marcin Bulka: 4/10 – The OGC Nice keeper was wrong-footed for Leao’s goal and also against Ronaldo’s cheeky panenka-style penalty. Stood no chance against Fernandes’ belter but should be doing better against Neto’s goal.

Defenders

Jakub Kiwior: 5/10 – A near-perfect game was spoiled by his handball leading to Ronaldo’s penalty. He was massive on all fronts be it passing, progressing or the defence but conceded the penalty in an unfortunate way – he was the last man in the defence and had to make a diving effort to block Dalot’s pass.

Jan Bednarek: 5/10 – Proved to be a solid presence in the defence before being replaced at half-time with an injury he suffered during a collision with Ronaldo.

Kamil Piatkowski: 5/10 – Kept Leao quiet throughout the first half. Made a vital clearance when the AC Milan winger was through on goal inside the penalty box Also thrust forward whenever Poland had turnovers.

Midfielders

Bartosz Bereszynski: 5/10 – Came close to scoring but his shot was cleared by Nuno Mendes, who made a massive intervention. The wing-back had to be replaced around the hour-mark with an injury.

Piotr Zielinski: 5/10 – The Polish skipper worked hard off the ball and tried to create a few chances on counter-attacks.

Taras Romanczuk: 5/10 – Provided a great pass to Mateus Bogusz in the first half when Poland broke on the counter.

Kacper Urbanski: 6/10 – The Bologna star created a lot of danger for the Portuguese between the lines with his slick touches and the ability to escape the pressure.

Nicola Zalewski: 7/10 – Poland’s best player on the pitch despite the disastrous result. Initiated a great run in the first half, leaving Bernardo Silva behind his trail, before releasing Bereszynski with a precise through-ball. Also made a similar run in the second half, bamboozling two Portuguese defenders.

Attackers

Mateusz Bogusz: 4/10 Entered the playing eleven as a last-minute replacement for Szymanski but was replaced at half-time. Had his shot blocked by Antonio Silva on a dangerous counter.

Krzysztof Piatek: 4/10 Failed to make a decisive impact in the absence of Lewandowski as the Portuguese’s defence nullified him for the entirety of the game.

Substitutes

Dominik Marczuk: 6/10 – Scored a precise strike into the bottom right corner, beating Diogo Costa.

Jakub Kaminski: 4/10 – Found wanting for Leao’s strike.

Sebastian Walukiewicz: N/A

Adam Buksa: N/A

Antoni Kozubal: N/A

Manager

Michel Probierz: 4/10 – What could have been a better evening turned into a nightmare in the second half. The defence, which looked sturdy in the second half, was ripped apart by Portugal’s devastating counter-attacks. Probierz’s defensive struggles continued.

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