Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal put three goals past Qatar in their latest international friendly. The Manchester United man had a telling impact on the game despite playing just 45 minutes.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored on his 181st appearance for Portugal as they beat 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar 3-0. By making the team, Ronaldo set a new record for international appearances by a European footballer.
He overtook former Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos, who remains stuck at 180 appearances for Spain after missing large parts of the previous and the current season due to injury troubles.
Despite playing only 45 minutes for Portugal, Cristiano scored the opening goal of the game – his 112th in international football. However, the goal itself came after Qatar had repelled wave after wave of Portuguese onslaught during the early phases of the match.
Ronaldo himself was everywhere, as he smashed a freekick into the wall shortly after kick-off before his through pass was nearly latched onto by Andre Silva. The Manchester United striker missed a glorious opportunity to put his team in front in the 34th minute when he placed his shot wide despite being 1-v-1 with the goalkeeper.
At the other end, Qatar’s star striker Almoez Ali capitalized on a momentary defensive lapse to steal in behind the Portugal backline before firing his shot straight at goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
Ali’s miss proved costly, as two minutes later, Ronaldo put Portugal in front with a simple tap in from six yards. Jose Fonte doubled his side’s lead three minutes after the restart. The centre-back slammed a loose ball into the net on the rebound after the opposition goalkeeper had parried away William Carvalho’s initial header.
Portugal’s attempts to score the third goal were met by several stumbling blocks. Andre Silva missed two glaring opportunities, both of which were remarkably similar in nature.
Both times, the RB Leipzig forward failed to convert a cross from Nuno Mendes from the middle of the penalty box – first, by firing it over and then, by hitting it straight at the goalkeeper. Silva ultimately atoned for his misses by netting Portugal’s third in stoppage time, but only after Diogo Dalot had a goal ruled out, and Rafael Leao had hit the crossbar.
