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Even without their talismanic captain Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal rolled past Sweden in Lisbon as they picked up an emphatic 3-0 victory in a 2020-21 Nations League group A3 game.
A brace from Diogo Jota after Bernardo Silva's fabulous opener got the job done for the Selecao who remain at the top of the group ahead of France on goal difference.
Sweden missed two glorious chances in the first half that could've left the game on a knife's edge, but the hosts were also sloppy with their finishing, especially in the second stanza.
Nevertheless, the visitors never looked likely to trouble Portugal and expectedly returned home empty-handed. On that note, here are the five major talking points from the game.
#1 Diogo Jota showed Portugal the way in Lisbon
Diogo Jota stepped up to the plate against Sweden in Lisbon to ensure that Portugal didn't miss Cristiano Ronaldo as he assisted Bernardo Silva for the opener before netting two spectacular efforts.
Jota threaded a defense-splitting pass to Bernardo Silva who thundered home a superb first-time effort but saved the best for last.
The newly-signed Liverpool star scythed down the left flank and danced his way past the Swedish defence to fire a low drive beyond Robin Olsen.
With his Man of the match performance, Jota took his international tally to three goals from five games, but more importantly, he managed to step in to ensure that Portugal didn't miss Cristiano Ronaldo for inspiration.
#2 Profligate Sweden rue missed chances
Sweden put up a much better performance in Lisbon from an attacking perspective. The visitors, unlike in the last game where they failed to muster a single shot on target, managed to carve out some good chances against Portugal but lacked the cutting edge to finish them.
Mikael Lustig wasted a glorious opportunity to put his side ahead in the 12th minute when he sent his effort into row Z despite having a clean sight at goal. Marcus Berg then followed suit just before half-time by blasting a shot into the stands when scoring seemed to be the easier option.
Had the Blagult dispatched both of those chances, they would've gone into the break level at 2-2, and the match could've been very different in the second half. Nevertheless, Janne Andersson's men were left to rue what might have been.
#3 Portugal's counter-attacks lacked bite
In the last half an hour of the game against Sweden, most of Portugal's attacks came on the break as Sweden pushed bodies forward in the hope of a late fightback.
That allowed the Selecao to make quick transitions, with Joao Felix and Bruno Fernandes leading the charge with their pacy surges into the Swedish half.
While their buildup was impressive, the hosts lacked the final ball to finish off the moves as their promising counter-attacks dissipated with the ball going out of play.
In one of the most disappointing instances in this regard, Fernandes laid a through-ball for Felix who only had Olsen to beat but somehow contrived to waste the chance by firing his shot wastefully over the crossbar.
Portugal clearly have the eye for counter-attacks as well as the pace to break forward and create decisive chances but need to find that final ball to round off their moves.
#4 Nations League relegation looking imminent for Sweden
While they have traditionally not been a big side, Sweden were experiencing somewhat of a renaissance after the retirement of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Nordic country, who had qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup at Italy's expense after a 12-year absence and reached the quarter-finals, beat Russia and Turkey to gain promotion in the Nations League's maiden edition last year.
It was as if a sleeping giant, who were driven by an exciting brand of football that yielded goals aplenty and who conceded miserly, was awakened. A year later, though, Sweden seem to have regressed.
Sweden have been pretty underwhelming in the Nations League this year as they lost all their four games in the competition. To be fair, getting drawn alongside the reigning European champions, world champions and World Cup runners-up was not the kindest of draws, but their rather meek performances haven't truly helped their cause.
The Yellow and Blues have struggled to create chances, and when they did, as was the case against Portugal, they wasted them. Their latest setback sees them rooted at the foot of Group A3 with no points from four outings as a relegation looks imminent.
#5 Portugal are a force to be reckoned with, with or without Cristiano Ronaldo
If it wasn't clear by now already, Portugal's performance against Sweden was another reminder that there's so much to this side than only Cristiano Ronaldo.
The skipper, who missed the Sweden game after testing positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, is obviously a talismanic figure for the team, but even without him, the Selecao are a force to be reckoned with.
Diogo Jota, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes were all exceptional against Sweden. While Joao Felix is far from a finished product, he clearly has the talent to shine on the biggest of stages.
At the back, Joao Cancelo is making his name as one of the best right-backs while age is no bar for the 37-year-old Pepe who turned in another solid shift in defence against Sweden.
Special mentions go to the impressive duo of goalkeeper Rui Patricio and midfielder Danilo as Portugal have an envious array of personnel to call upon.
The reigning European and Nations League champions are stacked with world-class talents and have an extremely bright future ahead of them, with or without Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal may be written off at next year's Euros at one's own peril.
