Cristiano Ronaldo scored as Portugal beat Poland 3-1 for their third straight Nations League win on Saturday, while European champions Spain put an end to Denmark’s perfect start in the competition.

Bernardo Silva volleyed Portugal ahead in the 26th minute in Warsaw as Bruno Fernandes cleverly nodded a cross from Ruben Neves back towards the Manchester City midfielder.

Ronaldo then found himself in the right place at the right time to turn in the rebound for Portugal’s second after Rafael Leao’s shot came back off the post following a brilliant surging run by the AC Milan winger.

The 39-year-old Ronaldo has now struck in all three games of this Nations League campaign for Portugal, taking his record men’s international goals tally to 133.

Piotr Zielinski cut the deficit for Poland but Jan Bednarek’s own goal sealed victory for Portugal, the lone remaining team in League A with a 100 percent record, and they could secure a place in the quarter-finals next week.

Roberto Martinez’s side have a maximum nine points in Group A1, three ahead of Croatia who beat Scotland 2-1 to condemn them to a third successive defeat in the section.

Ryan Christie’s first half-goal gave Scotland a shock lead in Zagreb, but Igor Matanovic equalised before the interval and Andrej Kramaric bagged the winner midway through the second half.

Che Adams thought he had salvaged a stoppage-time equaliser but VAR disallowed his effort for offside, with Scotland winless in nine competitive outings — the longest run in their history.

Spain needed a 79th-minute effort from Martin Zubimendi to shrug off Denmark 1-0 in Murcia and replace their opponents at the top of Group A4.

The hosts were without Rodri and Dani Carvajal, both sidelined by long-term injuries, with first-choice goalkeeper Unai Simon still recovering from wrist surgery, and Dani Olmo and Robin Le Normand also ruled out.

But Luis de la Fuente’s team grabbed the only goal when Zubimendi’s low drive from just outside the edge squirmed past Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who had earlier denied Lamine Yamal and Alvaro Morata.

Spain moved up to seven points, one above Denmark, with Serbia picking up their first win after beating Switzerland 2-0 in Leskovac.

Serbia led through Nico Elvedi’s own goal in first-half stoppage time and Aleksandar Mitrovic doubled the advantage before Predrag Rajkovic saved a penalty from Swiss striker Breel Embolo.

Both games in Group C3 finished goalless as Bulgaria were held at home by Luxembourg and Northern Ireland drew against Belarus on neutral ground in Hungary.

Romania eased to a 3-0 win away to Cyprus in Group C2, while Kosovo beat Lithuania 2-1.

AFP

Greece’s hero against England, Vangelis Pavlidis, claimed that the team gave their soul for George Baldock in their historic win over England on October 10, Thursday. Greece secured a historic 2-1 victory over England in the Nations League at Wembley, with Pavlidis scoring a brace, including the stoppage time winner.

However, the triumph was tinged with emotion, as the Greek team paid tribute to British-born Greek international George Baldock, who tragically passed away earlier this week. Baldock, aged 31, was found dead in a swimming pool at his home in Glyfada, just months after joining Panathinaikos from Sheffield United. The defender, of Greek ancestry, earned 12 caps for Greece, with his final appearance coming in March.

Before kickoff, a minute of silence was observed in Baldock’s memory, and despite Greece’s first-ever win against England, the mood at the final whistle was somber. The Greek players honored Baldock by lifting a shirt bearing his name during their subdued celebrations.

Speaking after the match, as quoted by Reuters, Pavlidis said that it wasn’t a day to talk about football and their thoughts were with Baldock and his family.

“It was a very special day and match for us. Our thoughts are with George,” Pavlidis said.

“We are professionals and had to play the match. We gave our soul for him tonight. Today is not a day to talk about football. He was part of our team. We will miss him very much.

“Also to wish strength to his family and not talk about football. The whole day was numb. We won tonight and don’t want to celebrate. There are just no words.”

Pavlidis opened the scoring in the second half with a sharp finish and was a constant threat, with Greece having three additional goals ruled out. Jude Bellingham appeared to salvage a point for England when he equalized in the 87th minute. However, Pavlidis sealed the win deep into stoppage time, scoring his second of the night to secure Greece’s place at the top of Group B2 with nine points.

England, led by interim manager Lee Carsley, suffered their first defeat, leaving them in second place with six points.

By Francesca Hangeior

Rafael Nadal on Thursday announced he will retire after the Davis Cup finals in November, ending a career that brought 22 Grand Slam titles, global respect, and inspired epic, iconic rivalries with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

“I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially,” Nadal said in a video on social media.

“It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life everything has a beginning and an end.”

The 38-year-old Spaniard is set to end his two decades as a professional with 92 titles and prize money alone of $135 million.

He dominated the French Open where he won 14 of his majors, his first arriving just days after his 19th birthday in 2005, his last in 2022 making him the event’s oldest champion.

On the famous crushed brick of Roland Garros, he lost just three times in 115 matches.

He was also a four-time champion at the US Open and a two-time winner at the Australian Open, his first triumph coming in 2009; his second 13 years later.

Nadal also won Wimbledon twice, in 2008 and 2010 despite grass considered to be the surface most likely to expose any shortcomings in his game.

His five-set victory over Roger Federer in the 2008 championship match, which ended in almost complete darkness at the All England Club, is widely regarded as the greatest Slam final ever played.

Nadal claimed a career Golden Slam when he took Olympic Games gold in 2008. For good measure, he also won five Davis Cups.

Nadal was a five-time year-end world number one and never left the top 10 from 2005 until March this year.

In total, he spent 209 weeks in top spot and between 2004 and 2022, won at least one title every year.

In his long rivalry with close friend Federer, who retired last year, he enjoyed a 24-16 edge. Nadal surpassed Federer’s mark of 20 majors in Australia last year.

He and Djokovic, the all-time leader with 24 men’s Grand Slam titles, met 60 times with the Serb just ahead by two.

An underpowered Nadal was swept aside by Djokovic in straight sets in their final meeting at this year’s Paris Olympics.

Despite his record-breaking career, Nadal was plagued by injuries, a painful by-product of his all-action, brutal-hitting style.