Cristiano Ronaldo notches up his 901st career goal, saving Portugal in the Nations League competition.
In the 88th minute, the 39-year-old tapped it home from a close distance, finishing Portugal's comeback after going a goal down in Lisbon.
Scotland snatched an early lead with a powerful header from Scott McTominay in the 7th minute. Despite relentless pressure, Portugal struggled to find an equalizer, but eventually did so through Bruno Fernandes' shot from the edge of the area in the 54th minute.
Portugal pressed for a winner, with Ronaldo hitting the post and goalkeeper Angus Gunn making two impressive saves to deny João Félix. In the dying minutes, Ronaldo scored from the back post, converting a dangerous cross from Nuno Mendes for his second goal of the international break.
This was his 132nd goal for Portugal, adding to his impressive tally of 901 career goals, 450 for Manchester United, 145 for Real Madrid, 101 for Juventus, 68 for Al Nassr, and 5 for Sporting Lisbon.
After the game, Fernandes, who played in his 600th career match, praised Ronaldo's influence on the team. "His impact remains the same, whether he starts on the bench or not," Fernandes said, as reported by Reuters. "Every player who came on made a difference. Cristiano scored his 901st goal today."
Portugal's win gave them a perfect start to their Nations League campaign, with six points at the top of League A Group 1. Croatia followed closely behind with three points, having won 1-0 against Poland.
Croatia's only goal came from Luka Modric, who also turned 39 last Monday, after delicately curling a free-kick from the penalty area after halftime.
Meanwhile, Spain continued its strong 2024 form with a 4-1 win over Switzerland. Spain took the lead in the 6th minute through Joselu and doubled it minutes later with Fabián Ruiz's goal. However, they were reduced to 10 men in the 20th minute when Robin Le Normand was shown a straight red card.
Despite this setback, Zeki Amdouni halved the deficit for Switzerland just after halftime, but Ruiz restored Spain's two-goal lead and Ferran Torres scored a late goal to secure a 4-1 victory for La Roja.
Full Nations League scores from Sunday
Home vs. away (winners in bold)
Portugal 2-1 Scotland – League A, Group 1
Croatia 1-0 Poland – League A, Group 1
Denmark 2-0 Serbia – League A, Group 4
Switzerland 1-4 Spain – League A, Group 4
Slovakia 2-0 Azerbaijan – League C, Group 1
Sweden 3-0 Estonia – League C, Group 1
Luxembourg 0-1 Belarus – League C, Group 3
Bulgaria 1-0 Northern Ireland – League C, Group 3
Gibraltar 2-2 Liechtenstein – League D, Group 1
Football was the focus of the Nations League campaign, with various teams showcasing their skills and strategies. In the Euro 2024 qualifier, Portugal and Scotland faced off, and despite Scotland's early lead, Portugal managed to secure a 2-1 victory with a football goal from Cristiano Ronaldo.
