PARIS, Nov 16, (V7N) - Portugal secured their place in the Nations League quarter-finals with a 5-1 thrashing of Poland on Friday. The victory, propelled by Cristiano Ronaldo's two goals, ensured they topped Group A1 with a match to spare, joining France, Germany, and Italy in the last eight.

Portugal's Second-Half Surge

Poland started the match strong but failed to capitalize on their early chances in Porto. Portugal punished them with a powerful second-half performance, scoring four goals in the final 20 minutes.

The first half ended without any goals, with Portugal failing to register a shot on target. However, coach Roberto Martínez's halftime adjustments turned the game around. In the 58th minute, Poland's Dominik Marczuk came close to breaking the deadlock, but Portugal's goalkeeper Diogo Costa made a brilliant save.

Portugal took the lead almost immediately after the save when Rafael Leao set up Nuno Mendes for a cross that Leao finished with a powerful header.

In the 69th minute, Ronaldo stepped up to convert a 'Panenka' penalty after Diogo Dalot's shot was blocked by Jakub Kiwior’s hand in the penalty area. This effectively ended any hopes of a Polish comeback.

Bruno Fernandes added a third goal with a thunderous shot off the crossbar, and Pedro Neto added a fourth, finishing off a pass from Ronaldo.

Ronaldo completed his brace with an acrobatic volley in the 87th minute, moving his international tally to 135 goals.

Marczuk scored a late consolation for Poland, but the loss meant they can no longer qualify for the knockout stages and will be relegated if they lose to Scotland next week.

Scotland's Vital Victory Over Croatia

In the same group, Scotland boosted their chances of avoiding relegation with a 1-0 win over Croatia. John McGinn scored the winner in the 86th minute, after Croatia's Petar Sucic was sent off in the first half. The result leaves Scotland with hope of staying in the top tier.

Spain Maintain Perfect Record with Win Over Denmark

Spain continued their unbeaten run in Group A4, defeating Denmark 2-1 in Copenhagen. Ayoze Perez hit the crossbar early before Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring for Spain after a Danish defensive error.

Perez then doubled Spain's lead with a well-placed shot into the bottom corner, and though Gustav Isaksen pulled one back for Denmark late on, Spain held on for the win, securing their top spot in the group.

In another match in Group A4, Switzerland was relegated after a 1-1 draw with Serbia, thanks to a last-minute equalizer by Aleksa Terzic.

Romania vs Kosovo Abandoned After Fan Controversy

In Group C2, Romania's match against Kosovo was abandoned after the visiting players walked off the pitch in injury time following chants of "Serbia" from the home fans. UEFA has not yet issued further information on the incident.

In League D, San Marino kept their promotion hopes alive with an injury-time penalty equalizer by Nicola Nanni, securing a 1-1 draw with Gibraltar.

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