Portugal secure last-eight spot with second-half blitz

Portugal recovered from a "very bad" first half to seal a Nations League quarter-final berth, after a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty and overhead kick helped them hammer visiting Poland 5-1 in Group A1 on Nov 15.

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Rafael Leao broke the deadlock just before the hour with a header before Ronaldo doubled the lead from the spot in the 72nd minute with a confident strike down the middle of the goal.

The hosts then scored three goals in seven minutes through Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Neto and Ronaldo's clever strike. Dominik Marczuk got a consolation for Poland in the 88th minute.

"The first half was very bad for what we wanted to do. We lost focus and got frustrated," said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez.

"But the second half was the best I've seen. We've changed the mentality, and increased the intensity and mutual support. We didn't let Poland play."

Forward Leao added: "We couldn't impose ourselves on the game in the first half. Roberto Martinez's approach in the locker room was important, it was the key to changing the pressure at halftime."