Portugal 3-1 Switzerland: 5 Hits and flops | UEFA Nations League
In a high profile encounter at the Estádio do Dragão, Cristiano Ronaldo took Portugal to the Nations League finals with a superb hat-trick against Switzerland. Despite the dominance of Swiss for major parts of the game, Ronaldo's late blitz helped Portugal inflict a 3-1 defeat on them.
The 34- year-old opened the scoring with a stunning free-kick in the 25th minute rendering Swiss keeper Yann Sommer helpless. Switzerland were dominant throughout the first half but they would live to regret Haris Seferovic and Xherdan Shaqiri missing their chances in the first-half.
The Swiss eventually found their equaliser early in the second half but that came in a controversial fashion. Steven Zuber was fouled by Nelson Semedo in the box and despite the appeal of the Swiss, the play continued. Due to their advantage, Portugal went up and they were awarded a penalty instantly which they won through Bernardo Silva.
After consulting with VAR, the Swiss were awarded the penalty by cancelling out the call on Portugal. Ricardo Rodriguez made no mistake to make it 1-1 from the spot in the 57th minute of the game.
Switzerland looked more and more dominant and the game looked like going into the extra time but Cristiano Ronaldo had other ideas. Portugal's talisman struck twice inside two minutes to seal the game for Portugal.
Without further ado, here's a look at five hits and flops from the match.
#5 Hit: Xherdan Shaqiri
In a devastating defeat for the Swiss, Xherdan Shaqiri shone as one of the standout performers of the night. Shaqiri, who recently won the Champions League with Liverpool, was at the heart of the Swiss team as he played a pivotal role during most of their attacks.
The 27-year-old kept pushing forward from the left, helping the Swiss break through the defensive lines of the Portuguese with his runs and deliveries. Shaqiri kept creating chances throughout the match and created problems in the final third with his vision. He had his own chances but Rui Patricio did enough to prevent any kind of damage.