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“A brand I was looking for”, declared Cristiano Ronaldo after achieving his 100th and 101st goals with Portugal this Tuesday against Sweden on the second round of the Nations League (2-0), approaching the absolute record of goals with the national team that Iranian Ali Daei has (109).
Amid the silence of the Friends Arena on the outskirts of Stockholm, the five-time Ballon d’Or, 35, scored the 1-0 free-kick in the 45th minute, and also the 2-0, taking advantage of a pass from the Atlético de Madrid Joao Felix to beat the Scandinavian goalkeeper Robin Olsen with his right hand.
“I have achieved two important goals, It is a brand I was looking for. I am very happy, first of all, because the team has won and to reach 101, with two huge goals, “Ronaldo told Portuguese public television.
See also: With two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal beat Sweden in the Nations League
The locals were left with 10 men in the 44th minute for the double yellow that midfielder Gustav Svensson saw.
This duel against Sweden was the first of Ronaldo since the beginning of August and the elimination of Juventus by Lyon in the last 16 of the Champions League.
In this call, Portugal suffered an infection in his right foot and received antibiotics, which prevented him from playing on Saturday against Croatia, on the first day of the League of Nations, a game that his team won 4-1 despite the absence of its captain and reference.
– The record, ‘step by step’ –
Now Ronaldo is eight goals behind Ali Daei, an absolute reference for national scorers: “The record …. Step by step, it is not an obsession, but I think that records come naturally.”
It was precisely against Sweden, in 2013, when Ronaldo equaled Pauleta’s record for goals in the Portuguese team (47), on the second leg of the play-off for the 2014 World Cup, for which he qualified his team with a hat-trick that day.
See also: What a great goal! CR7’s 100th with Portugal came from a free kick
“I had made a mark the last time I played at this stadium. I knew that if I played today I would leave my mark again and that’s what happened “, he pointed.
Ronaldo scored his first goal for the national team on June 12, 2004, in the opening match of the Eurocup, against Greece, ultimately the winner. I was 19 years old.
Portugal, first champion of the Nations League and current champion of Europe, is leader of group 3 of League A with the same 6 points as France, but has a goal difference of +5, for France’s +3 .
The Portuguese team will play its next match against France on October 11 at the Stade de France, a rematch for the Bleus of the final of Euro 2016.
Finally, Ronaldo referred to the context of the health crisis that requires playing behind closed doors. “Health comes first, but it’s sad to play without fans, it’s like going to the circus without clowns or a garden without flowers. Personally when I play outside I really like being whistled, it motivates me,” he revealed.
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