Ronaldo hat-trick leads Portugal into Nations League final

Fresh for a first stellar season with Juventus aside Champions League heartache, Cristiano Ronaldo was back in extraordinary terms yesterday.

The Portugal captain led by example, firing his country into the final of the Nations League via a 3-1 victory over Switzerland in Porto.

The encounter, close by all means, is another instance to make all Portuguese wonder what would be when the Juve superstar, now 34 years old, finally retires from the international football.

The individual brilliance of Ronaldo was available for everyone to see once more as he opened the scoring inside 25 minutes before scoring two more goals in the 88th and 90th minutes to pull his country through.

Ricardo Rodriguez’s penalty, which drew Switzerland level on 57th minute, proved no more than a consolation as they are left to rue missed chances by two prominent marksmen.