Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has made a surprise decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo for their UEFA Nations League clash against Scotland on Sunday night.

It comes after a week where Ronaldo scored his 900th career goal in the 2-1 win over Croatia in the same competition.

However, the 39-year-old has lost his place in the starting XI for the visit of Scotland, with Liverpool’s Diogo Jota coming in as his replacement.

Martinez, in a pre-match interview with RTP, explained: “It’s tactical. I want to spread the effort.

“The format of playing two games in 72 hours, Cristiano was the player with the most sprints against Croatia and it’s just a question of protecting the player and having an option on the bench.”

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