Cristiano Ronaldo became the first European player to reach 100 international goals after scoring twice in Portugal’s 2-0 win over 10-man Sweden.
Veteran Sweden midfielder Gustav Svensson was sent off just before half-time for collecting a second yellow card, and from the resulting free-kick, Ronaldo fired the ball into the top corner to bring up his landmark century.
After 72 minutes, the Juventus forward – who missed Portugal’s Nations League opener against Croatia on Saturday with a toe injury – curled in a second goal from the edge of the penalty area.
Ronaldo has set his sights on Iranian Ali Daei’s record for a male international of 109 goals.
“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.”
Asked about his future in the game, Ronaldo was quoted by Reuters as saying: “The future, only God knows. I am happy to play with these young players and I am enjoying a lot this moment both individually and collectively.
Portugal have two wins from their opening Nations League fixtures, and top the table ahead of France, who beat Croatia 4-2 in Paris.
Sky!