Portugal crushed Switzerland 4-0 on Sunday in Lisbon on the second day of the Nations League, in a match in which Cristiano Ronaldo presented himself with a double after a long scarcity of selection.
William Carvalho, Betis Sevilla midfielder, opened the scoring after a free kick by Ronaldo, bypassing Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Copil (1-0, 15).
Then ‘CR7’ took charge of the show by scoring a goal from Diogo Jota (2-0, 35th position). Four minutes later, the Portuguese star signed a double by wrapping up closely after a poor shot from Copil (3-0, 39th place). Joao Cancelo completed the Portuguese correction by putting the ball in the net after the Swiss goalkeeper was eliminated (4-0, 68th place).
Despite this quiet success, Portugal did not start the match in the best way and could have faced penalties.
In the fifth minute, Benfica Lisbon striker Haris Seferovic sent the ball into the net, but the referee canceled the goal after resorting to the video assistant referee in exchange for a handball from his colleague Fabian Scher in a duel with Pepe.
This fear had the effect of a flick on the 2016 European champion, who later showed themselves to be more impulsive.
Guilty of a foul on Ottavio, Scheer delivered a perfectly positioned free kick for Cristiano Ronaldo: at the entrance to the surface and almost full axle. Then the Manchester United striker sent a powerful blow that Coppell blocked at the feet of William Carvalho, guarded (1-0, 15).
– Ronaldo sees a double –
This completely unbridled target of Portugal, who then rushed into the Swiss cages. After a good movement on the right side, Diogo Jota sent the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo, alone in the penalty area, who fired a clear shot to take the break (35, 2-0).
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo shines against Switzerland in the League of Nations, June 5, 2022 in Lisbon / AFP
It was the Portuguese captain’s first achievement since October 2021 and a hat-trick against Luxembourg.
And the five-a-side Golden Ball soon saw weakness. Diogo Jota served in the area, firing a pivotal shot at Copil, and the goalkeeper could only clear the ball away from Ronaldo who followed well to score the 117th goal of his international career (39, 3-0).
“The captain is the best in the world. That’s enough. When we tell you he’s the best in the world, what more words do you need?” Portuguese coach Fernando Santos tasted in a press conference the result of the match.
Switching to management style during the second half, Lusitanias scored again when Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva fired fellow club Joao Cancelo into the deep. Kopel’s side erased a large bridge before scoring the empty goal (4-0, 68th place).
At the end of this second day, Portugal tops very strong Group B with 4 points, the same total as the Czech Republic drew 2-2 against Spain in Prague.
On Thursday, Portugal (8:45 pm) will receive the Czechs as part of the third day, once again at the Jose Alvalade stadium, while at the same time, Spain will face Switzerland in Geneva.
