Ronaldo left out of Portugal squad

Lisbon - Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of the Portugal squad for their upcoming matches as he fights rape allegations in the United States.

Ronaldo has been accused of rape by Kathryn Mayorga, who says the player assaulted her in Las Vegas in 2009. He has denied the accusation.

Ronaldo was left out of the squad for Portugal's second game in the UEFA Nations League against Poland on October 11 and a friendly international in Glasgow against Scotland three days later.

The Juventus forward also missed Portugal's first two post-World Cup matches last month, with coach Fernando Santos saying Ronaldo had only just moved to the Italian club and was still settling into life in Turin.

Santos used the 33-year-old team captain's absence last month to give an opportunity to younger players.