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Portuguese Abroad goals round-up: Guerreiro inspires as Dortmund go top; João Félix gets first Stamford Bridge goal; Ronaldo free-kick brilliance in Saudi Arabia; Beto strikes against Milan

Borussia Dortmund lead Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga table heading into the international break, with Portugal international Raphaël Guerreiro currently one of the in-form players as German football looks set for an enthralling title race.

Cristiano Ronaldo again stole the headlines in Saudi Arabia with a trademark free-kick for Al Nassr, while there was a first home goal for Chelsea’s João Félix in the English Premier League. In Italy, Beto was on target to help Udinese overcome Champions League quarter-finalists AC Milan in Serie A.

Bayern Munich have won the Bundesliga title ten years in a row, but their dominance in Germany is under severe threat this season from Borussia Dortmund. Bayern slipped to 2nd at the weekend following defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, allowing Dortmund to move one point clear at the top with nine matches remaining.

Dortmund were convincing 6-1 winners against Cologne on Saturday, and once again Raphaël Guerreiro played a starring role in the triumph. Guerreiro opened the scoring with a cool finish from Donyell Malen’s pass after 15 minutes, before the Portuguese then provided two assists: first for Sebastien Haller; the second for Marco Reus to put the hosts 3-0 up after a little over half an hour.

Malen made it 4-0 ahead of half time and Haller and Reus both scored again in the second half, as Dortmund look ominous in their pursuit of a first league championship since 2012. For Guerreiro, an astonishing recent record of 8 assists from his last 7 matches, backed up by goals in consecutive games.

Such is Guerreiro’s form, talk of a new contract is gathering pace in Germany. The 29-year-old was widely expected to leave Dortmund at the end of the season when his current deal runs out, but reports in recent days suggest Guerreiro’s performances may push Dortmund into offering him fresh terms to keep him at the club.

Ronaldo shines again

Saudi Arabia also looks set for a close-fought title race, with just one point separating leaders Al Ittihad from Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. Both sides won this weekend, but Al Nassr had the Portugal captain to thank for inspiring their comeback 2-1 victory over Abha on Saturday evening at their home Mrsool Park.

Al Nassr trailed 1-0 in Riyadh with around 77 minutes played when they were awarded a free-kick over thirty yards from goal. Ronaldo stepped up and dispatched a low drive into the bottom left corner to draw the sides level, after which former Benfica striker Talisca scored from the penalty spot to complete the turnaround.

Just nine matches remain in the Saudi Pro League, with Al Nassr needing to overturn a 1-point deficit. Ronaldo’s club, nicknamed the ‘Knights of Najd’ last won the national championship in 2019.

Potter praises goalscorer Félix as Chelsea held

João Félix has certainly shown flashes of his special talent in recent weeks at Chelsea in the Premier League. The Portugal star got off to a nightmare start in England with a red card on his debut in January, but a goal upon his return against West Ham last month demonstrated why the Blues shelled out for an expensive winter loan deal to bring Félix to London from Atletico Madrid.

Having been substituted at half time last week in the victory over Leicester City, Félix kept his place for the visit of Everton on Saturday. The 23-year-old responded by putting his side ahead early in the second half, but defensive lapses ultimately cost Chelsea and Everton left Stamford Bridge with a point following a 2-2 draw.

Speaking after the game, Chelsea boss Graham Potter was full of praise for Félix. “I think João played a really good game,” he said. “He mixed his game up well, he ran in behind, he dropped in, I think he linked up well with Kai and Christian and Enzo and Kova so I’m really happy with his performance.

"Coming to the Premier League there’s going to be physicality, you expect that, it’s up to the referees to see all the incidents, but we’re happy with João and we’re happy with how he affected the game. He’s adapting and learning all the time so it’s positive for us.”

Beto helps Udinese defeat Milan

Udinese striker Beto may have missed out on a place in Roberto Martinez’s first Portugal squad, but the former Portimonense man provided the perfect response by scoring in the Bianconeri’s victory over AC Milan. Udinese beat the Serie A champions 3-1 at the Dacia Arena on Saturday, with Beto getting a vital goal to put them 2-1 just before half time.

Roberto Pereyra gave Udinese an early lead, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic levelled from the penalty spot deep into first-half stoppage time. Beto was at the centre of the controversy surrounding Milan’s leveller, as Zlatan’s initial penalty was saved by Marco Silvestri, only for the referee to order a re-take due to Beto’s encroachment. Zlatan sent Silvestre the wrong way to convert at the second time of asking.

With the sides set to head into the break at 1-1, Beto stunned Milan by restoring his team’s lead just moments after Zlatan’s penalty. Nigerian striker Isaac Success pulled the ball across the six-yard box and Beto showed typical poacher’s instinct in prodding the ball past Mike Maignan to give Udinese a 2-1 half-time advantage. Kingsley Ehizibue made the points safe with a close-range finish twenty minutes from time.

“I’m happy that I scored in a crucial moment of the game,” Beto told reporters. “But the penalty they scored was my fault, because I entered [the box] a little too early. So for that mistake I then scored so I’m very happy. Especially to finally win at home in front of our supporters. We played well, with the right mentality and they didn’t create much. In recent matches we are showing how much we want to win.”

The rest: Portugal internationals Rony Lopes, Josué, Adrien on target

Rony Lopes is enjoying somewhat of a return to form in France with Troyes this season, and the Seleção international scored with a typically assured left-foot finish in Sunday’s 2-2 home draw against Brest. The goal was Lopes’ 5th in Ligue 1 this season – only once has he scored more in a league campaign: 15 for Monaco in 2017-18.

Jota converted a penalty in Scotland as champions Celtic close in on a successful defence of their title, after beating Hibernian 3-1 at home. In the Spanish Segunda Division, well-travelled forward Bebé made it three goals in six matches for new club Real Zaragoza, scoring the opener in their 1-1 draw at Huesca.

Adrien Silva helped Al Wahda keep their outside chances of a title challenge alive in the United Arab Emirates, as the former Sporting man scored the opener in their 3-1 win away against Al Dhafra. In nearby Qatar, João Carlos Teixeira scored for Umm Salah but could not prevent a 2-1 home loss to Al Gharafa.

Veteran midfielder Josué scored from the penalty spot to help Polish giants Legia Warsaw to a 2-0 victory away against Radomiak Radom in the Ekstraklasa. Finally, in Luxembourg João Teixeira’s 88th-minute goal gave Swift Hesperange a 1-0 win at Fola Esch, while Douglas Aurelio’s late penalty earned Latvian side Riga a 1-1 draw against Rigas FC on the second matchday of the new season.

By Sean Gillen

@SeanGillen9