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Goals from Bernardo Silva and a double from Diogo Jota gave Portugal a comfortable 3-0 victory over Sweden in the Nations League on Wednesday, as the hosts went ahead despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence due to a test. positive for COVID-19.
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Ronaldo’s only contribution to the game was a kick-off Instagram post urging his teammates while he remained in quarantine, and they proved more than up to the task.
William Carvalho could have given the home side the lead in the opening minutes, but his header came off a post and bounced towards safety, and the Swedish defense struggled to deal with Portugal’s pace and precision.
Silva opened the scoring in the 21st minute when Portugal recovered the ball in midfield and responded quickly, with Jota firing a precise pass to Silva in the penalty area for a perfect first shot.
Marcus Berg came close to equalizing for Sweden with a powerful shot that hit the post, but the more the Swedes attacked, the more vulnerable they were to swift counterattacks from Portugal.
Jota got on the scoreboard just before the break, whipping a Joao Cancelo cross from deep on the right to make it 2-0, adding a magnificent third with a solo run and a hard-hitting shot in the minute. 71.
Sweden coach Janne Andersson will miss his team’s next Nations League game against Croatia following his second yellow card of the tournament, the 57-year-old showing his frustration at the refereeing decisions that went against his team.
With 10 points from four games, Portugal top League A Group 2 on goal difference ahead of France, which beat Croatia 2-1 in Zagreb. The Swedes are at the bottom of the group after falling to four consecutive defeats.
