Spain seal Nations League semi-final spot with late Alvaro Morata winner against Portugal in Braga

Spain have secured their place in the final four of the Nations League with a dramatic 1-0 win against Portugal at the Estadio Municipal de Braga. Having succumbed to a surprise 2-1 defeat to Switzerland at the weekend, Spain arrived in Braga knowing that they would need to take all three points to go through to next summer’s finals.

Portugal, who went two points clear at the summit following their 4-0 demolition of the Czech Republic on Saturday, could afford to settle for a draw. Ad Fernando Santos, the Portugal manager, tweaked his starting line-up, with Joao Cancelo returning from suspension to replace Diogo Dalot – who notably scored twice against the Czechs – while Nuno Mendes and Diogo Jota came in for Mario Rui and Rafael Leao respectively.

Luis Enrique, by contrast, made wholesale changes, swapping in seven players in total including an entirely different midfield three of Koke, Rodri and Carlos Soler. UEFA Nations LeagueSpain stunned by Swiss to leave finals qualification in the balance24/09/2022 AT 17:51 Spain dominated the ball early on, but were left with little to show for it other than a shot from Pablo Sarabia which was blocked by Danilo Pereira.

Portugal, who were content to cede the lion’s share of possession to their opponents, had the better chances in the first half, with Ruben Neves stinging Unai Simon’s palms from distance, Jota forcing the Spain goalkeeper to tip a shot over the crossbar and Bruno Fernandes unleashing a fierce drive from distance which looked to be sailing into the top corner only to ripple the side netting. The hosts picked up where they had left off after the break, Jota scampering forwards on the left before threading through Cristiano Ronaldo.