Portugal manager sends home four stars after qualification but Leao remains | OneFootball

Thanks to their 5-1 win against Poland last night, in which Rafael Leao opened the scoring, Portugal have qualified for the Nations League quarter-finals. However, despite some stars being sent home, the AC Milan man is not one of them.

Leao was a key player for Portugal last night as he opened the scoring in the second half, following a great run from the halfway line. He then laid it off to Nuno Mendes on the flank, who managed to find the Milan man again in the box, scoring with a nice header.

As confirmed by Roberto Martinez after the game, now that Portugal have qualified for the quarter-finals, the likes of Bernardo Silva, Pedro Neto, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes have been sent home. Leao, on the other hand, will remain with the team for the game against Croatia on Monday.

“We are going to release four players: Bernardo Silva, Pedro Neto, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes. In addition to Tiago Djaló, players from the U21s have worked with us. Fábio Silva and Quenda are in the squad,” he said as transcribed by ABola.

There is no way for Croatia to catch up, currently six points behind, so Leao might get some rest on the bench. However, he’s been in great form lately and bagging yet another goal could really boost his confidence, so it might not be entirely negative.