Portugal hit Andorra for SEVEN as Cristiano Ronaldo moves closer to Ali Daei’s all-time international goalscoring record after Pedro Neto and Paulinho both netted on their debuts for national side
- Cristiano Ronaldo has moved closer to breaking the all-time international record
- The star took his tally to 102 goals in the 7-0 rout of Andorra on Wednesday
- Ronaldo, 35, is now just seven goals shy of Ali Daei’s all-time goalscoring record
- Pedro Neto and Paulinho also scored on their debuts for the national side
Cristiano Ronaldo moved a step closer to becoming the all-time top scorer in international football as Portugal demolished Andorra 7-0 on Wednesday.
Ronaldo’s late strike takes his overall tally for his country to 102 goals, meaning he is just seven shy of former Iran striker Ali Daei’s record of 109 goals in international football.
Ronaldo broke the century mark after scoring twice in Portugal’s Nations League win over Sweden in October, and has his eyes firmly set on surpassing the Iranian’s mammoth total.
Cristiano Ronaldo moved a step closer to the all-time international goal record on Wednesday
The Juventus star struck to take his tally to 102 goals as Portugal hammered Andorra 7-0
Coming off a minor knee injury and having recently been sidelined by a positive COVID-19 result, Ronaldo was not named in the starting eleven by Portugal boss Fernando Santos.
The Juventus star came off the bench at half time for Wolves forward Pedro Neto. The 20-year-old scored the opener on his debut for the national side, and is the first player born in the 21st century to play for Portugal.
Fellow debutant Paulinho bagged a brace to put Benfica in control while Renato Sanches scored his first international goal in four years in a comfortable evening’s work for Santos’s European champions.
The 35-year-old is closing in on Ali Daei’s international goal record of 109 goals for Iran
Debutants Pedro Neto and Paulinho also found the net in a fruitful evening in Lisbon
Former Bayern Munich star Renato Sanches scored his first international goal for four years
Andorra’s Emili Garcia put the ball in the back of his own net with 15 minutes remaining to pile more misery on the minnows, who were outclassed in Lisbon.
And Ronaldo got in on the act late on, making it 6-0 with a close-range header in the 85th minute, having squandered a few good chances after coming on as a sub. Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix made it seven heaven for the Portuguese.
Barcelona forward Francisco Trincao started up front and was flanked by Neto and Paulinho. Portugal coach Fernando Santos also handed a debut to central defender Domingos Duarte.
Portugal hosts France on Saturday in the Nations League, then visits Croatia on Tuesday. It trails Group B leader Ukraine by three points entering its final two matches in the European competition.