CRISTIANO RONALDO returned from injury but could not inspire Portugal to victory against Spain in the Nations League.
Ronnie, 37, had not played for almost a month since Manchester United’s 4-0 defeat at Brighton.
Cristiano Ronaldo made his injury return in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Spain Credit: Getty
Ronnie hadn’t played in nearly a month after injuring his hip at Man Utd Credit: Getty The veteran suffered a hip injury and missed Ralf Rangnick’s final match, a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
But Ronaldo got 30 minutes under his belt on Thursday as Portugal fought back for a 1-1 draw against Spain.
Both sides named a strong line-up in the Nations League clash.
The previous four fixtures, spanning nearly a decade, had all resulted in stalemates.
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Messi’s Finalissima win equals amount of Ronaldo’s international trophies But it was Spain who dominated the ball from the start.
And they took the lead after 25 minutes after Juventus’ Alvaro Morata put the finishing touch to a fine counter-attack.
Spain continued to press their opponents, with Portugal eventually turning to Ronaldo in the 62nd minute.
But it wasn’t the national legend who restored parity late on.
Alvaro Morata gave Spain a first-half lead in the Nations League clash Credit: Rex
Ricardo Horta got an 82nd minute equaliser in his first appearance for almost eight years Credit: EPA .css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}
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Instead, Braga winger Ricardo Horta pulled one back for Portugal with just eight minutes remaining.
It was his first cap in almost eight years, having made his debut as a teenager in 2014.
But Horta made all the difference for Portugal as he slid the ball under Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon following a pinpoint cross from Man City’s Joao Cancelo.
Spain will now prepare for Nation League games against Czech Republic, Switzerland and the Czechs again.
Meanwhile, Portugal face Switzerland twice, with a game against Czech Republic sandwich inbetween.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
