Cristiano Ronaldo scores second successive brace for Portugal: Key stats
What's the story
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his second successive brace for Portugal in the Euro 2024 Qualifiers Group J. After scoring twice on a record-breaking 197th international appearance against Liechtenstein, Ronaldo added two more to his tally on matchday 2 against Luxembourg. Despite being 38, Ronaldo has been in top form in 2023. Portugal tamed minnows Luxembourg 6-0 following a 4-0 win over Liechtenstein.
Goals
122 goals for Ronaldo in international football
Playing his 198th match for Portugal, Ronaldo has raced to 122 goals. He is 23 goals clear of Lionel Messi, who has 99 for Argentina. Ronaldo now has 102 competitive goals in men's international football, with the other 20 coming in friendly matches. At the UEFA European Championship qualifying, Ronaldo has now raced to 35 goals in 37 games.
Information
Euro 2024 Qualifiers: Ronaldo is the 2nd-highest scorer
Denmark's Rasmus Højlund is the top scorer at the Euro 2024 Qualifiers, having netted five goals so far. After scoring a hat-trick versus Finland, Rasmus netted a brace in Denmark's 3-2 loss versus Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Ronaldo follows suit with four goals.
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Ronaldo's love affair with Luxembourg continues
Ronaldo's love affair with Luxembourg continued as he has raced to 11 goals in 11 matches. Luxembourg are the first nation against whom Ronaldo has bagged 10-plus goals with the next country in his tally being Lithuania (7).
Game
Portugal hammer minnows Luxembourg 6-0
Ronaldo broke the deadlock after nine minutes with Nuno Mendes providing the assist. On loan Chelsea forward Joao Felix added the second from Bernardo Silva's assist. Silva scored the 3rd as Bruno Fernandes' assist for Ronaldo saw Portulled Portugal go further clear. Substitutes Otavio and Rafael Leao scored late in the second period. Leao also missed a penalty before his goal.