The much-deserved international friendly match between Portugal and Scotland was not a let-down for fans as the latter was won by Portugal 2-1, compliments of a last-minute strike from the ever-reliable Cristiano Ronaldo. The match which was played at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon saw the 39 year old superstar still perform at his best thus leaving people wondering.

As they were serving from the start of the game, both teams looked to go forward and attack, but it was only Portugal which came up with goals first. The hosts enjoyed early pressure and it paid off when Bruno Fernandes, took advantage of a team’s defensive mistake to score a perfect strike that sailed into the right corner of the net in the 23rd minute. He put Manchester United on the lead with a goal and this paved way for an exciting match where Portugal had most of the touches in the first part of the match.

Nevertheless, the Scots having a reputation of being tough, did put up a spirited stand. The Aston Villa Midfielder John McGinn brought the score level with a well taken goal just before the half-time break thus, silencing the home crowd. His free kick from the left side of the Portuguese penalty area put the Portuguese goalkeeper on his heels once more and equaliser brought life into the game.

The second thirty – fives was also filled with tactical changes as each side looked for the match-winner. Portugal used new generation players in their team such as Félix and Diogo Jota while Scotland made some changes to ensure they continue with their pressing style of play. The tactical chess match that both managers engaged into gave much more depth to the proceedings.

Although the match could have ended in a stalemate, Cristiano Ronaldo who was relatively inactive in the match played a classic performer. The Al Nassr forward had a free header from a João Cancelo cross in the 87th minute putting it past the Scottish goalkeeper. The goal made the home fans erupt in joy and further reinforcing why Ronaldo is part of the best players that football has ever produced.

The victory boosts the morale of the Portuguese team especially when preparing for other UEFA Euro qualifiers’ fixtures. In fact for Scotland there were a lot of good aspects considering they played against one of the top tier European teams. The never say die attitude that Steve Clarke and his men showcased in the match will come in handy in future so they had that going for them.

In other friendly matches that took place around the world, Spain and Italy ended on a 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid. This was really an impressive match of attacking football, and only they proved why both the teams belong to the elite club of Europe. Alvaro Morata scored two goals for Spain while Italy’s Federico Chiesa made a superb goal to make it 1-1 draw.

However, in the club football, the transfer is still alive for the speculation as the January transfer window is near. According to the latest rumours, Manchester United are interested in Bayer Leverkusen’s young starlet who is Florian Wirtz since the premier league team would want to strengthen their attacking prowess. The German international, 20 years old has had a great season and has attracted interest from several Europe league clubs.

Down under special previews are underway to the Australian Open in the world of tennis. Currently, Novak Djokovic who recently won the US Open has arrived in Melbourne ahead of time to adapt to the ground. He is going for his 11th Australian Open title and he doesn’t seem to be human yet even if he is only a year away from his 37 th birthday.

On the women’s side of the draw, all the focus will be on Coco Gauff who was outstanding in the US Open. The young American has been preparing hard and participating in grueling practice sessions and is among the favorites for the first Slam of the year. However, some of her biggest rivals are the ones like Iga Świątek, Aryna Sabalenka as well as Naomi Osaka who recently came back to the courts from maternity leave.

In cricket a match that is ongoing being a tour of India to South Africa is another that is most popular. The first Test match is to commence next week and both the teams are in the process of final rehearsals. Lack of leadership group performers such as Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah have put doubt to continued India success, nevertheless captain Rohit Sharma is amped up for his team to play in hostile terrains.

While the global sporting activities are going on to hold the world’s attention, these and many other activities and milestones remain as indicators of the influence and capability of sporting activities. Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the hero once again, the Australian Open is fast approaching, and there are hundreds of other stories, events and moments out there – they keep the world of sports as vivid and unexpected as it always has been and will be in the foreseeable future.