Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace helped Portugal continue their perfect run in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Portugal defeated Slovakia 3-2 in their Euro 2024 qualifier on Friday. Roberto Martinez’s men snatched a hard-fought win on home soil as Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 125th goal for the national team.
What happened?
Portugal’s efforts to find an early opener paid off when Goncalo Ramos made it 1-0 for the hosts in the 18th minute. Only ten minutes later, Ronaldo doubled Portugal’s lead by converting a penalty.
The hosts missed a host of opportunities to extend their lead in the first half. However, Slovakia looked much improved after the break.
The visitors got back into the game through David Hancko’s goal in the 69th minute. But Ronaldo restored his side’s two-goal lead only three minutes later. The Al-Nassr superstar nodded the ball home from close range to make it 3-1 after receiving a perfect assist from Bruno Fernandes.
Stanislav Lobotka pulled another one back for Slovakia later on, but it was already too late for the visitors to mount a comeback.
Portugal vs Slovakia: Man of the Match
Ronaldo made another perfect display for Portugal as they defeated Slovakia on home soil. At 38 years old, the football icon is still a lethal weapon in Portugal’s attacking line. In addition to his two goals, Ronaldo engaged in nine duels during the game, winning five of them.
Player Ratings
Portugal: Costa (5), Cancelo (6), A. Silva (7), R. Dias (6), Dalot (6), Palhinha (7), B. Silva (7), B. Fernandes (8), Leao (6), G. Ramos (7), Ronaldo (8).
Bench: Felix (6), Otavio (7), Neves (6), Jota (6).
Slovakia: Dubravka (8), Vavro (5), Pekarik (4), Skriniar (6), Hencko (7), Lobotka (7), Kucka (5), Duda (6), Schranz (6), Bozenik (5), Mak (6).
Bench: Suslov (6), Benes (7), Polievka (6), Tomic (5), Duris (5).
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