02.09.2021 » Portugal 2-1 Ireland. Ronaldo makes history!
In their first game following the elimination from the EURO 2020 knockout stages, Portugal clashed with the Republic of Ireland in the Algarve. Against what many pundits had predicted, this was very far from being a routine win for the Portuguese Team, as the visitors showed a great organization, discipline and belief in pulling off a surprise. We all remember the odds of France beating Portugal with Ronaldo in the lineup, but tonight, against Ireland, it was time for the Seleção to be bookies' favorites instead. Portugal had plenty of chances to break the deadlock in the first half, including a missed penalty-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo. Nevertheless, Ireland managed to score just before the break and they would hold on to that precious lead until the last minutes of the game. That was when the best player in the world decided to show up and with two brilliant headers, Cristiano Ronaldo turned things around and delivered Portugal the 3 points. The Portuguese superstar is now the highest international goalscorer in history, having scored 111 goals in 180 caps for the Portuguese National Team.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Portugal vs Ireland
Portugal 2-1 Ireland- Goals and highlights:
Ireland surprised the pundits!
Few people were expecting to see Ireland putting on such a good fight against Portugal, but with a lot of players still warming up for the new season and with so many opportunities missed in front of goal, the match ended up being a bit more balanced than it would have been in normal circumstances.
The first major opportunity came in the 15th minute of the first half, but not before a very long VAR analysis. It all happened when Bruno Fernandes fell inside the box following a reckless tackle from Jeff Hendrick and the referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot. However, the VAR decided to intervene and suggested the referee to look at it from different angles on the TV screen. Eventually, the referee confirmed his initial decision, but Ronaldo failed to beat Bazunu and the goalless draw remained for a few more minutes...
The only goal in the first half was surprisingly scored by Ireland, when a corner kick from the left taken by McGrath found John Egan's head in the near post. Free of marking, the Sheffield United player headed the ball into the far post and easily beat Rui Patrício. And just like that, Ireland was on the lead and Portugal was going to need to step up their game in the second half...
Ronaldo was determined in making history!
As soon as the two teams returned from the dressing rooms for the second half, we immediately realized that Fernando Santos wasn't happy with his team's dynamic in the attack, which somehow explains why he took off Rafa Silva and replaced him for André Silva. Portugal needed more presence in the attack and Rafa was looking a bit lost on the pitch...
However and as time passed, the equalizer didn't arrive and the Portuguese players started getting more nervous. Fernando Santos kept changing players in hope of seeing results on the pitch, but it didn't look anyone in this team was going to be capable of scoring tonight. Well, everyone except one man: Cristiano Ronaldo.
In the 89th minute, Gonçalo Guedes beat his defender on the right side of the attack and sent a perfect cross into the heart of the box. Cristiano Ronaldo was waiting for it in the right place and with a great header he broke the Irish resistance. There were still a few minutes left on the clock and Ronaldo wasn't done for the night. In the last minute of added time, João Mário assisted Ronaldo for another brilliant header and Portugal completed the comeback. 2-1 for the Portuguese National Team and a new all-time record for Ronaldo: 111 goals at the international level.
Portugal line-up vs Ireland:
Goalkeeper: Rui Patrício
Defenders: Guerreiro, Rúben Dias, Pepe, Cancelo
Midfielders: João Palhinha, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva
Attackers: Rafa, Diogo Jota, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
|
||
|---|---|---|
Portugal
|
vs
|
Ireland
|
2 |
Goals |
1 |
29 |
Shots |
6 |
7 |
Shots on goal |
2 |
14 |
Corner kicks |
3 |
9 |
Fouls commited |
11 |
1 |
Yellow cards |
4 |
0 |
Red cards |
0 |
72% |
Ball possession |
28% |
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Portugal is on September 4, against Qatar. You can watch Portugal vs Qatar, Italy vs Bulgaria, Sweden vs Spain, Hungary vs England, Chile vs Brazil, and Liechtenstein vs Germany, all matches provided from our soccer live game pages.
Portugal next game:
Portugal vs Qatar kick-off time (04-09-2021):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 00:00
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 23:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 21:30
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+2: 18:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 18:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 17:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 13:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 12:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 09:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / talksport.com / bbc.com / skysports.com
