Portugal, who won the first leg of 2019, advanced two points in Group A2 to beat the Czech Republic 2-0 in Lisbon.
Spain came in second with a 1–0 win over Switzerland behind the Czech Republic.
The two heavyweights drew 1-1 last week and should meet again in the final, but first Portugal will have to travel to Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
With only half of the campaign being contested, Santos didn’t take anything too seriously at this point.
“We are the first, it is always good,” he said. “But the other teams on our team also want to win. Three games ahead.
“Spain still won today. We are now two points ahead. Of course the team is still open. It will be decided at the end of September, not now.”
Portugal praised the win at the José Alvalade Stadium, where goals from João Cancelo and Gonzalo Guedes in the first half were sufficient.
Celicau made five shots on goal for the spectators and ended up with an expected goal value (xG) of 1.34 to 0.71.
Although the margin of victory could have been even greater, Guedes is pleased with Portugal’s ninth victory in the last 11 games since exiting the round of 16 of Euro 2020.
At the same time, we showed an excellent game, especially in the first half. “We tried to spread the ball across the gaps, and we succeeded.
“We were very tired in the second half, but they were a good team, they tried to kick us out. We wanted more heads but couldn’t find them.
“This is still an important win and a great game from our side. We want to finish first and move as far as possible in the tournament. This can be done with the help of victories.
Bernardo Silva has scored both of Portugal’s goals and now has three assists in this Nations League campaign, more than any other player.
In total, he created four great chances, and only Cancello (three) converted more triples than Silva’s two triples in 22 minutes.
Explaining this alternative and his plans to tackle Switzerland on Sunday, Santos told Sport TV: “The players start to get tired – it’s natural.
“Today he again had a great influence on us. But he used his batteries from the start, and when that happened, he couldn’t fill other roles.
“As for the team against Switzerland, you have to watch.”