1 week Ago By AP
MADRID (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty and an overhead kick as Portugal beat Poland 5-1 to guarantee a place in the Nations League quarterfinals on Friday. Scotland had its first win in nine games to keep alive its hopes of staying in the tournament’s top tier. The match between Romania and Kosovo was suspended in stoppage time and later abandoned with the score 0-0 in Bucharest.
There were scuffles between players from both teams and Kosovo players walked off the pitch. European soccer body UEFA did not explain why the game was cut short but Kosovo players were reportedly upset at hearing pro-Serbian slogans. “The UEFA Nations League match between Romania and Kosovo has been abandoned.
UEFA will communicate further information in due course," it said on its website. After historic tensions were heightened by the 1990s Balkans conflicts, in 2008 majority ethnic Albanians in Kosovo declared independence for the former Serbian province. Serbia refuses to recognize that independence and considers Kosovo the cradle of its statehood.
Games involving Kosovo, Albania and Serbia have been a tinder box in recent years. Spain, which had already secured first place in Group A4, beat Denmark 2-1 in Copenhagen, and in the same group Serbia grabbed a late equalizer in Switzerland to condemn the Swiss to relegation into the second tier. France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Portugal are all assured one of the eight quarterfinal spots.
The games will be held from March 20-23. The eight teams are also guaranteed a spot in Pot 1 for the qualifying draw for the 2026 World Cup. Ronaldo turned in a man-of-the match performance in a blistering second half.
Portugal took its time to overcome a hapless Poland but three goals in the last 10 minutes clinched the match. Rafael Leão broke the deadlock with a fine header 14 minutes into the second half and then Ronaldo got his 134th international goal from the penalty spot 13 minutes later. Ronaldo made it five — and 135 — with a deft overhead kick three minutes from time.
The result ended Poland's hopes of making the quarterfinals. Scotland had its first win in nine games with a late John McGinn goal giving the home side the slimmest of wins over a 10-man Croatia in Group A1. Petar Sucic was sent off for a second yellow card offense two minutes before halftime but Scotland struggled to capitalize.
It wasn’t until four minutes from time that substitute McGinn broke the deadlock to the delight of the Hampden Park crowd. The result left Scotland with two points and Poland with four. The teams meet in Warsaw on Monday with Scotland needing a win to avoid relegation to the second tier.
Denmark had not beaten Spain since 1993 and it got off to a bad start when Mikel Oyarzabal took advantage of poor defending to give the visitors the lead after 15 minutes. The European champions were on top throughout, with Oyarzabal and Ayoze Pérez combining well up front. Pérez hit the bar early but later he took a pass from Olmo and finished clinically with 58 minutes gone.
The Danes are in second place with seven points, two ahead of Serbia. The sides meet in Leskovac on Monday. Last-place Switzerland will drop to League B.
In Zurich, Zeki Amdouni put Switzerland ahead after 79 minutes and looked to be on course for its first win in the tournament. But with three minutes left, Serbia broke upfield and Aleksa Terzić provided the finish to level the scores. Gregor Kobel saved a penalty from Serbia’s Aleksandar Mitrović early in the second half.
In Group C3, Northern Ireland took a big step closer to promotion to League B with a 2-0 win at home over Belarus. Daniel Ballard’s goal five minutes into the second half put Northern Ireland ahead and Dion Charles doubled its lead 13 minutes later to take it on to 10 points. Martin O’Neil’s men just need a point in Luxembourg on Monday to guarantee promotion to League B.
Bulgaria beat Luxembourg 1-0 away from home and is in second place with eight points. It faces Belarus, which has six, on Monday. San Marino scored a stoppage time penalty to draw with Gibraltar 1-1.
Gibraltar went ahead when Liam Walker converted an early penalty kick. However, Nanni’s last-gasp equalizer still leaves Gibraltar unbeaten in six games. It sits atop Group D1 with six points, two ahead of San Marino and four clear of Liechtenstein, albeit having played one game more.
With one game to go, all three teams are still in contention for promotion to League C. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer.
