Ruben Dias scored the first two goals of his international career as Portugal defeated 10-man Croatia by 3-2 in their last league-stage game of the UEFA Nations League 2020-21. The Manchester City centre was indeed at his best as he didn’t just give the European Champions a lead with his first goal but scored a winner in the 90th minute of the game to take his side over the line. With this, Portugal extended their unbeaten run against the hosts to seven games. Cristiano Ronaldo’s men also finished the league stage at the second position in the Group 3 of League A. On the other hand, Croatia finished at number three after the defeat but still managed to avoid relegation from Nations League top tier. Croatia vs Portugal Head-to-Head Record.

Earlier in the game, the home team drew the first blood with Mateo Kovacic striking the nets in he 29th minute of the game. However, Cristiano Ronaldo and Co looked an entirely different side in the latter half of the game, showcasing more vigour and intent. Croatia were dented down further when mid-fielder Marko Rog picked up a second yellow card, giving the visitors a numerical advantage.

Croatia vs Portugal Goal Video Highlights:

Dias opened Portugal’s goal-scoring account in the 52nd minute after Ruben Semedo set him up a nearly comfortable strike. Although Ronaldo didn’t look at his prime, his teammates didn’t do much wrong. Just eight minutes after Dias’ goal, Joao Felix found the nets after Diogo Jota latched onto a long ball in the Croatian penalty box. However, the scores were level soon as Mateo Kovacic scored his second goal in the 64th minute.

The contest was neck to neck with the scoreboard reading 2-2, but the home side eventually came second with Dominik Livaković making a major blunder in the second-half injury time, Ruben Dias to find the back of the net once again. With the game being a dead-rubber, it didn’t affect the playoff situations much, but the European Champions indeed be happy to finish on a high note.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2020 09:02 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).