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Portugal beat Andorra SEVEN as Cristiano Ronaldo approaches Ali Daei’s all-time international goal record after Pedro Neto and Paulinho scored in their debut for the national team.
- Cristiano Ronaldo is close to beating the international record of all time
- The star raised his tally to 102 goals in Andorra’s 7-0 win on Wednesday
- Ronaldo, 35, is just seven goals away from Ali Daei’s goal record
- Pedro Neto and Paulinho also scored in their debut for the national team
Cristiano Ronaldo took another step towards becoming the all-time top scorer in international football when Portugal defeated Andorra 7-0 on Wednesday.
Ronaldo’s latest goal brings his country’s overall tally to 102 goals, meaning he’s just seven from former Iranian striker Ali Daei’s record of 109 goals in international football.
Ronaldo broke the century mark after scoring twice in Portugal’s Nations League victory over Sweden in October, and has his eyes firmly set on surpassing the Iranian’s mammoth total.
Cristiano Ronaldo moved one step closer to the all-time international goal record on Wednesday
The Juventus star scored to bring his tally to 102 goals and Portugal beat Andorra 7-0
Ronaldo, who was coming off a minor knee injury and had recently been sidelined by a positive COVID-19 result, was not named in the starting eleven by Portuguese coach Fernando Santos.
The Juventus star came off the bench at half-time for Wolves forward Pedro Neto.
The 20-year-old scored the first goal on his debut for the national team and is the first player born in the 21st century to play for Portugal.
Rookie Paulinho hit a double to put Benfica in control, while Renato Sanches scored his first international goal in four years on a pleasant afternoon of work for European champions Santos.
35-year-old closer to Ali Daei’s international goal record of 109 goals for Iran
The debutants Pedro Neto and Paulinho also found the network in a fruitful evening in Lisbon
Renato Sanches, former Bayern Munich star, scored his first international goal in four years
Emili García, from Andorra, put the ball into the back of his own net with 15 minutes remaining to accumulate more misery in the minnows, who were outmatched in Lisbon.
And Ronaldo got into action late, making it 6-0 with a close header in the 85th minute, having blown some good chances after coming in as a substitute. Atlético de Madrid star Joao Félix made it a paradise for the Portuguese.
Barcelona forward Francisco Trincao started up front and was flanked by Neto and Paulinho. Portugal coach Fernando Santos also made the debut of central defender Domingos Duarte.
Portugal host France on Saturday in the Nations League and then visit Croatia on Tuesday. They are three points behind Group B leaders Ukraine in their last two matches of the European competition.
