Ronaldo's 900th career goal helped Portugal to a 2-1 victory over Modric's Croatia in the opening match of the 2024 Nations League. 900 career goals is simply inconceivable! Some professional players don't even reach half that figure. How lucky we are to be able to experience these moments with him, in the Portuguese shirt.
CR7's emotion was palpable. His joy was immense, so much so that he forgot to celebrate his 900th goal. Perhaps the pressure he had built up after failing to qualify for the Euros had exacerbated his passions. But one thing is certain, this 900th goal is particularly emblematic for him.
Everyone in the football world complimented him, indeed Real Madrid published a communication on social media to mark the event. As for the match, it was pleasurable to watch. Two great brigades faced off, one led by Modric, the other by Ronaldo. Seeing these two legends together on the pitch was a real pleasure.
Portugal scored two pretensions, with Ronaldo netting the alternate, which proved decisive for the palm. Like in the Euro, Portugal dominated ball possession. CR7 was emotional, pushing forward when his teammates occasionally preferred to remain conservative in midfield. As beforehand as the 5th nanosecond, Ronaldo initiated a dangerous move, and in the 7th nanosecond, he was formerly again involved in the thing, drawing the defense before Fernandez supported Dalot for a perfect finish.
In both the first and alternate halves, Portugal’s dominance was clear, although Croatia managed to recapture control of the ball for about fifteen twinkles. Their platoon play was at times superior to Portugal’s, and unlike the ultimate, they always finished their plays.
Yet there's always that feeling of imbalance with Portugal between the chances they create and their dominance in the game. With every game, it's assumed that they could fall into other odious traps, but Martinez hasn't yet put the key under the mat. Ronaldo, for his part, took advantage of the first very good pass he received, from Nuno Mendes, to score.
Croatia narrowed the gap before halftime thanks to good work by Kramaric, helped by a slight error from Dalot, but no more pretensions were scored in the alternate half. Martinez made some changes, specially taking off his wingers, which forced Ronaldo to drop deeper more frequently to help in the figure- up. He was brilliant, linking backheels, dribbles, and precise passes, formerly again proving he could be an excellent playmaker if he wanted to.
At the end of the match, Croatia pushed hard to equate, with several chances, but to no mileage. They're a veritably dangerous platoon when they've the ball, hard to fight. But you could also say that Portugal managed to mandate the pace of the match, interspersing between pressing and protective operation.
Martinez's style remains hard to read, and tête-à-tête, I would like to see Jota paired with Ronaldo, as he seems to understand him stylish. Leao and Neto showed good effects, but they still warrant perfection and timing in their passes.
See you veritably soon, take care of yourselves!
