Portugal coach Roberto Martínez lamented the injury to Vitinha in the Nations League match against Croatia, confirming it is an ankle issue and that Vitinha will not play against Croatia on September 8.

In the post-match press conference, Martínez did not specify the severity of the injury to the PSG player, noting that it will need to be evaluated in the coming hours.

"He’s out for the Scotland game," Martínez said, praising Vitinha as a player deserving of Ballon d'Or consideration for his technical quality.

How did Portugal fare against Croatia?

After a scoreless Euro 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo regained his scoring touch with Portugal on Thursday, netting his 900th career goal and leading Portugal to a 2-1 victory over Croatia in the Nations League opener.

At Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Ronaldo scored Portugal’s second goal, following an initial lead from Diogo Dalot. Manchester United’s Dalot had opened the scoring at 7 minutes, receiving a pass from Bruno Fernandes and finishing it into the net.

Croatia's attempt to level the score included a first-half own goal by Dalot, but despite their efforts, they couldn’t add more goals. Croatia had entered the match needing to rebound from a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign, where they were eliminated in the group stage, while Portugal was knocked out in the quarter-finals on penalties.

The match saw Portugal take an early lead, with Dalot’s goal followed by Ronaldo’s 900th career goal at 34 minutes, receiving a pass from Nuno Mendes. Croatia pulled one back before halftime with an own goal from Dalot.

In the second half, Portugal created more opportunities, with Ronaldo involved in numerous attacking plays. Despite some chances from Croatia, including a shot from Matanovic that went wide, Portugal held their lead.

Martínez substituted Ronaldo near the end, and the forward left the field to a standing ovation. Portugal will continue their Nations League campaign against Scotland on Sunday, while Croatia will face Poland.