The Portuguese star, Cristiano Ronaldo, has broken a new record in the match where his national team defeated Qatar 3-0 on Saturday in Faro, Portugal, as part of the European qualifiers for the World Cup that will be hosted by the Gulf state in 2022. Ronaldo participated in his 181st match with his national team, surpassing the previous European record held by Spain's Sergio Ramos, a player for Paris Saint-Germain.
Ronaldo and his Manchester United teammates had little trouble re-establishing dominance over the Qatari team, just as they did in the previous encounter (3-1) during the international window in September, as the 2016 European champions imposed their control from the outset.
The upcoming World Cup hosts are participating in the qualifiers with a nominal status, as their results are not counted, following an invitation received by the Qatari Football Association from their European counterpart.
Ronaldo missed a scoring opportunity when he faced goalkeeper Saad Al-Sheeb after a pass from Germany’s Leipzig player, Andre Silva, sending the ball wide of the post (28). However, the five-time world player of the year made up for it by scoring the first goal following a grave mistake by defender Bassam Al-Rawai (37), bringing his international goal tally to 112.
Coach Felix Sanchez's team focused solely on defense and failed to pose any threat to the Portuguese national team's goal, as Portugal's stars continued to dominate the match and squander easy chances in front of Al-Sheeb's goal.
Defender José Fonte of Lille reinforced his country's lead early in the second half, capitalizing on a rebound from the goalkeeper (48). The Portuguese team maintained their superiority in the second half, with AC Milan's Rafael Leão, Ronaldo’s replacement, striking the woodwork on two occasions before Silva scored the third goal in the final minute (90).
The Qatari national team will head directly to Dublin after the match to face the Irish team on Tuesday in a second strong test during the current international window this October.
