Paris: Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning brace to take him to 101 international goals for Portugal in a 2-0 victory over 10-man Sweden in the Nations League, while France won a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final 4-2 over Croatia.
Ronaldo broke the mythical 100-goal mark on the stroke of half-time, the 35-year-old Juventus attacker curling in a free kick from 25 yards over the wall and into the far left corner beyond Sweden’s stranded goalkeeper
Robin Olsen for a memorable milestone in his trophy-laden career.
The bonus second goal, and his 101st, came in the 72nd minute, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward cutting back inside the Swedish defence and producing a deft finish into the far corner from 20 yards.
After making his first senior international appearance as an 18-year-old in 2003, Ronaldo notched up his first goal for Portugal in a 2-1 defeat by eventual winners Greece at Euro 2004.
Cristiano Ronaldo revealed his delight at his 100th and 101st Portugal goals on social media on Tuesday.
Ronaldo scored a brace against Sweden in a 2-0 away Nations League win.
At the same Stockholm stadium where the forward scored a hat-trick in 2014 World Cup qualifying, his first was a stunning free-kick to bring up a century in international football.
Ronaldo has set his sights on Daei’s record of 109 international goals following a double in Portugal’s win away to Sweden that saw him reach 101 goals for his country since his debut in 2004.
Having missed Portugal’s Nations League opener against Croatia on Saturday with a toe injury, Ronaldo wasted no time on his return, scoring a first-half free-kick and adding a second from open play in the 72nd minute to close in on Iranian Daei’s record.
“I managed to beat this milestone of 100 goals and now (I’ll go) for the record. It’s step-by-step. I am not obsessed because I believe the records come in a natural way,” Ronaldo said.
“When I had this problem in my toe I always knew that I could recover for this second game. I like to be here, with this group of players, coach, staff and knew that they would play well in the first game as our squad is too good and no one is irreplaceable,” added the 35-year-old.