Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot scored twice and Bruno Fernandes got one to help Portugal seal a resounding 4-0 away win over the Czech Republic in the Nations League on Saturday evening.
Dalot scored his first goals for his country, finding the back of the net either side of half-time, while Fernandes scored in first-half stoppage time. They were joined on the scoresheet by Liverpool ace Diogo Jota, who added Portugal's fourth inside the last 10 minutes of the contest.
Victory has put Portugal in the driving seat to qualify for the finals of the Nations League, meaning they will require just a point from their final Group A2 clash with Spain on Tuesday evening at the Braga Municipal Stadium. A win for Spain, however, would see them qualify instead.
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The win over the Czechs, which was Portugal's third win in their last four outings, was inspired by Dalot and Fernandes. After both scored in the first period, they combined after half-time, with the latter teeing up his United teammate to net his second of the game seven minutes after the interval.
Fellow United man Cristiano Ronaldo, who had earlier suffered a face injury, also played a key role in the win, providing the assist for Jota to net Portugal's fourth goal, capping off an excellent night's work for Fernando Santos' side. It meant that a United player had a hand in every goal.
Elsewhere in the Nations League, midfielder Scott McTominay helped Scotland move to within a point of promotion from Group B1 with a 2-1 win over the Republic of Ireland at Hampden Park. Ryan Christie netted an 82nd-minute penalty to seal a second successive win for Steve Clarke's men, meaning they need just a point away from home against Ukraine on Tuesday night to win their group.
After falling behind to John Egan's opener with less than 20 minutes on the clock, Scotland staged a second-half fightback, drawing level just four minutes after the restart through Jack Hendry. Christie, who provided the assist for his equaliser, then stepped up to complete the turnaround from the penalty spot.
McTominay, who will be suspended for the trip to Poland to face Ukraine after picking up a yellow card, was outstanding in the centre of midfield, producing another excellent performance. The United ace bossed proceedings in midfield, boasting an 89 per cent passing accuracy, winning two of his three attempted tackles and seven of his 11 attempted ground duels.
Meanwhile, it was a night to forget for centre-back Victor Lindelof and Sweden. He played the full 90 minutes of their crushing 4-1 defeat at the hands of Serbia, who were inspired to victory by a hat-trick from Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Fellow United ace Anthony Elanga also featured for Sweden, stepping off the bench during the second half. He replaced Viktor Claesson with 64 minutes on the clock, at which point Serbia were already 3-1 up.
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