Cristiano Ronaldo scored one goal from a penalty and another from a free kick, achieving a new record for the most international matches played by a male footballer during Portugal's match against Liechtenstein in the European Championship qualifiers on Thursday, which ended in a 4-0 victory for Portugal in Lisbon. Ronaldo, who turned 38 last month, made his 197th international appearance, surpassing Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa, who played in 196 international matches, while captaining his country in the Group 10 match in Lisbon.
Ronaldo scored a penalty in the 51st minute, marking his first-ever goal against Liechtenstein, putting the host team ahead 3-0. He added the fourth goal from a free kick.
João Cancelo had put Portugal ahead in the eighth minute with a long-range shot that deflected, but the visiting team frustrated Portugal with their organized defense. However, just after the start of the second half, Bernardo Silva made the score 2-0. Ronaldo successfully converted the penalty after Cancelo was fouled in the area before scoring his second personal goal from a free kick in the 63rd minute, extending Ronaldo's record for the most international goals to 120. The Portugal captain, who was substituted by the coach in the 78th minute before scoring a personal hat-trick, missed two significant chances during the match.
Former Portugal coach Fernando Santos had placed Ronaldo on the bench in the team's last two matches in the World Cup last year in Qatar, where Portugal exited the tournament after losing in the quarter-finals to Morocco. Thursday marked the first match under new coach Roberto Martinez, who expressed confidence in Ronaldo's ability to continue performing at the highest levels for his national team.
Martinez said this week, "I always look for loyalty and commitment. Ronaldo has a strong commitment to the national team, and he is a pivotal figure with a lot of experience that he can pass on to younger generations." Ronaldo commented, "I love breaking records. I've broken many of them." Ronaldo has scored goals against 46 different international opponents but had never scored against Liechtenstein before today's match.
