Cristiano Ronaldo Calls on Home Crowd to Will Portugal to Nations League Glory

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo believes the home crowd can give his side the edge in their Nations League final clash with the Netherlands on Sunday.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner netted a classic hat-trick in the semi finals to single-handedly knock Switzerland out of contention for the grand prize, as the Iberians recorded a 3-1 victory in front of the exuberant supporters at the Estadio do Dragao.

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The Dutch also won their semi final by a scoreline of three-goals-to-one, overturning a half-time deficit to defeat an erroneous England outfit. 

Speaking to UEFA.com ahead of the his country's showdown with the Netherlands, Ronaldo stated: "[They] are an excellent team. They have been playing pretty well.

"I've been watching them in recent matches and they have an excellent squad with great players – young players and more experienced players, which makes their team even stronger.

"We know that they will be quite a difficult opponent," the Juventus icon continued. "But, I think that for both Portugal and the Netherlands, this is simply what finals are like. 

"When I pull on the shirt of the national team, it's a huge honour for me and it's a different feeling than it is playing for clubs. It's our country: my family is Portuguese, my friends too.

"I hope to win two of the three [finals I have played in for my country]. That would be fantastic and I have hope − so does the team. We are positive; we are playing at home.

"I hope the stadium will be great, that there will be good energy, that this energy will be transmitted to us, and that everyone can be confident, because we will try to give our best. Together, we can become champions," the 34-year-old concluded, emphasising the importance of the role supporters will play on a momentous occasion for the nation.