Diogo Dalot paid tribute to former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal’s opening win in the Nations League over Croatia on Thursday.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
The 25-year-old Manchester United defender made an impact on both sides of the pitch in the first half, with Diogo Dalot firing Portugal into a 1-0 lead inside 10 minutes.
Cristiano Ronaldo then doubled Portugal’s advantage in the 34th minute, with the United legend taking his goalscoring tally to 900 for both club and country.
Croatia pulled one back against Portugal before half-time after Dalot put the ball into the back of his own net, but Roberto Martinez’s men held their lead in the second half.
Portugal are second in Group A after their opening Nations League match, with Poland currently top after their 3-2 win against Scotland on Thursday.
Roberto Martinez’s side will now return to action in the Nations League on Sunday against Scotland at the Estdio da Luz in Lisbon.
Dalot’s message to Ronaldo after Portugal win
Following the 2-1 win over Croatia at the Estdio da Luz, Diogo Dalot took to Instagram and praised the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo in the match for Portugal.
Ronaldo disappointed in the summer at Euro 2024 in Germany, with the former Manchester United star failing to score at his 11th major international tournament.
The 39-year-old Portuguese forward ruled out retiring from international football and Ronaldo is widely expected to play at the 2026 World Cup for Portugal.
Dalot admitted it was “special” to score for his country in the Nations League match before congratulating Portugal teammate Ronaldo for his goalscoring milestone.
“Always special to score for the national team,” he said.
“Great response and start of the Nations League. Congrats [to the ‘GOAT] for yet another [Cristiano Ronaldo] record.”
Man Utd star Dalot earns high praise
Dalot and United teammate Bruno Fernandes both played the full 90 minutes in the 2-1 victory over Croatia at the Estdio da Luz.
Speaking after the match, Portugal boss Roberto Martinez waxed lyrical about the role Dalot played on the pitch and praised the “fantastic” player for his performance.
“It makes a difference that we have different options and we can execute them after three training sessions,” he said, as per Portuguese newspaper O Jogo.
“There is work and continuity. Dalot and Semedo can play inside and outside. Croatia had difficulties with the breaks inside that Dalot executed very well.
“Scotland are totally different, competitive, difficult on set pieces. We need options. I really liked Dalot, the principle of play hasn’t changed.
“He’s fantastic and speaks volumes about the players, it’s not easy to have these tactical concepts in three training sessions….CLICK HERE FOR MORE ARTICLE>>>
