Portugal 2-2 France
Cristiano Ronaldo equalled the all-time international goalscoring record as defending champions Portugal drew with France to qualify for the last 16 of Euro 2020.
Ronaldo scored his 108th and 109th goals for his country to equal Ali Daei’s record set with Iran.
The former Bayern Munich striker took to Instagram to congratulate the Portugal captain on achieving the landmark: “Congratulations to Cristiano who is now one goal away from breaking the men’s international goal scoring record.”
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“I am honoured that this remarkable achievement will belong to Ronaldo – great champion of football and caring humanist who inspires and impacts lives throughout the world. Vamos!”
Benzema vs Ronaldo
Ronaldo scored a goal each in the first and second half, both from the penalty spot. However, on his special night, it was a former Real Madrid teammate who spoiled the party.
Striker Karim Benzema broke a six-year goal drought with France to also score twice and ensure Les Bleus secured the top spot in Group F of Euro 2020.
Ronaldo gave Portugal the lead after Hugo Lloris fouled Danilo as he attempted to punch away a cross at the half-hour mark. Benzema equalised from the penalty spot himself just before half-time after Nelson Semedo fouled Kylian Mbappe.
Benzema then gave France the lead immediately after the restart following a stunning assist from Manchester United star Paul Pogba. But it was Ronaldo’s day as he converted his second penalty at the hour mark that took him level with Daei’s goal tally.
Dramatic Group of Death
It was truly a matchday filled with a lot of turbulence for the four sides of Group F as the positions changed frequently with the passing of minutes and goals. It looked like Portugal were set to face England in the next round before Germany’s dramatic 84th-minute equaliser.
Germany’s draw with Hungary bumped them from fourth to second and sent Portugal to third based on the head-to-head record. France secured the top spot in the group, a point ahead of their group rivals.
Ronaldo has now become the outright European top scorer at major tournaments with 21 – overtaking former Germany striker Miroslav Klose who had 19.
The superstar now has 48 goals in his last 45 matches for Portugal and leads the race for the Golden Boot at Euro 2020 with 5 goals already.
What’s next?
The defending European champions have a stiff challenge against the world’s number one side Belgium on Sunday. France take on Switzerland in Bucharest on Monday and will remain one of the hot favourites for the competition.
