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A late Cristiano Ronaldo brace assisted Portugal with getting a 2-1 comeback triumph over the Republic of Ireland at home.
The hosts were hoping to ricochet back after a baffling defense of their European Crown, and mentor Fernando Santos named a solid XI at the Estadio Algarve.
A quick beginning to the game saw Portugal gave an early chance as ref Matej Jug highlighted the spot after Jeff Hendrick submitted a foul nearby.
Cristiano Ronaldo moved forward to take the spot-kick however saw his chance obstructed by Gavin Bazunu.
The subsequent half was one sided show, with Portugal posing all questions. Although, a steadfast Irish defense kept them under control. Exactly when it appeared as though the guests would get every one of the three points, Cristiano Ronaldo turned the game on its head with two sensational late headers.
The first of these saw him head home Goncalo Guedes’ cross in the 89th moment to outperform Ali Daei as the most highest scoring global male player ever.
Portugal pursued for a late penalty, yet the referee was unconvinced even after to having a VAR survey. It didn’t make any difference, however, as Cristiano Ronaldo finished a striking turnaround with one more expertly looked header in the 6th moment of injury time.
The extraordinary second, one that was as a rule anxiously anticipated since the beginning of the tournament, shown up in the 89th moment when the Portuguese striker struck a goal to even out the scores 1-1 in the match. Six minutes into the stoppage time, Ronaldo added one more goal to take his count to 111 goals in 180 games.
The 36-year-old has taken 180 matches to get to the count of 110 goals. Ali Daei had scored 109 goals in 149 appearances for the national side.
“I’m very happy, not only because I beat the record but for the special moments that we had, Two goals at the end of the game is so tough, but I have to appreciate what the team did. We believed until the end,” said Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese forward, who has re-signed for Manchester United, had a baffling beginning to the match as he missed to convert a penalty in the 15th minute. Ireland started to lead the pack in the 45th minute with defender John Egan putting the ball behind the rear of the nets.
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