Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday has become the all-time leading scorer for the national team in men’s football, when he scored two late goals to help Portugal come back to a 2-1 win over Republic of Ireland in Group A of the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The new record mark was concluded by rookie Manchester United in the 89th minute of the match, when Goncalo Guedes made a cross from the right for Ronaldo to cross and head to score 1-1.
Ronaldo’s historic night seemed unlikely when he missed a penalty in the 15th minute. Even John Egan’s goal in the 45th minute threatened to make Portugal suffer the first defeat, first in the 2022 World Cup qualifier.
The Republic of Ireland played very well, they defended strongly until Ronaldo’s extraordinary individual effort ruined all efforts.
“I am very happy, not only for the record but also for the special moments with the last two goals. It’s difficult, but we have to appreciate what the team did, the fans believed in us until the end of the game.” Ronaldo said.
With the shirt off in celebration, Ronaldo awarded a yellow card and will miss the next qualifying round on September 7 in Azerbaijan because of a ban.
And after Wednesday night’s results, Portugal is at the top of Group A with 10 points from four games, three points more than Serbia and four points ahead of Luxembourg, who still have one game less to play. Meanwhile, Republic of Ireland and Azerbaijan still have no points after 3 matches.
Ronaldo scored his 110th goal for Portugal, officially surpassing Ali Daei of Iran to monopolise the record.
The 36-year-old superstar scored the 111th goal in the 6th minute of stoppage time, also helping his team come back to win 2-1.
“This record is mine and it is unique. I am extremely happy and it is another great milestone for my career.” Ronaldo said.
“This goal is the driving force and desire for me to keep playing, similar to the last contract I made, which made me so happy to be back home.
“If we wake up every day with the ambition to push and always try to do better, to make our fans and children happy, then it is essential. This is another record to add to the museum of my career.” Ronaldo added.
