Ronaldo and Kane set records in Portugal and England victories:-The 38-year-old Ronaldo, who was already the top scorer in men’s international soccer, surpassed all other male players by making appearance No. 197 in Portugal’s 4-0 victory over Liechtenstein.
On Thursday, as the process of qualifying for the 2024 European Championship began, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane set a record.
The 38-year-old Ronaldo, who was already the top scorer in men’s international soccer, surpassed all other male players by making appearance No. 197 in Portugal’s 4-0 victory over Liechtenstein.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker celebrated by scoring twice in the second half, including a decisive free kick from the edge of the box to reach 120 goals in international competition.
Kane, meanwhile, surpassed Ronaldo as England’s all-time leading scorer with a first-half penalty in a 2-1 victory over Italy. With one more goal than Wayne Rooney, Kane now has 54 goals for his country.
Three months after the World Cup ended, qualifying for the Euro 2024 tournament, which will be held in Germany, began.
BELATED GET RAY
The match against Italy in Naples was a rematch of the Azzurri’s victory in the Euro 2020 championship game at Wembley Stadium. Since then, the teams have faced off twice, with Italy coming away with a win and a draw in Nations League qualifying last year.
This time, England managed to hold on following goals by Declan Rice and Harry Kane in the first half. Kane also scored a penalty after a VAR review revealed that Italy defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo touched the ball with his hand while attempting to stop Kane from reaching a corner.
In the closing minutes of last year’s 2-1 World Cup quarterfinal loss to France, Kane missed his last penalty effort for his nation.
A beaming Kane explained his record-breaking goal: It had to be a penalty, of course.
After left back Luke Shaw received two yellow cards in the span of 54 seconds, England started the second half with 10 men. Mateo Retegui, an Argentine forward with Italian citizenship through his maternal grandmother, pulled a goal back on his England debut.
For the first time since a World Cup qualifier at Wembley in 1977, Italy fell to England in a competitive game.
After failing to qualify for the previous two World Cups, the Azzurri’s start to the most recent round of major event qualifying was unsatisfactory.
Italy’s coach Roberto Mancini remarked, Let’s hope we end it better. We might start with an uphill climb this time.
In the other game in Group C, which also includes Ukraine, North Macedonia defeated Malta 2-1.
FOR PORTUGAL
After giving Ronaldo the ball against Liechtenstein, Roberto Martinez’s reign as Portugal’s coach got off to a smooth start.
The striker, who was named up front alongside Joao Felix despite missing Portugal’s knockout-stage matches at the World Cup, paid back Martinez for his confidence in him by taking over as Belgium following the competition in Qatar.
Ronaldo’s double in Lisbon was preceded by goals from Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva.
A new cycle has begun added Martinez-it is crucial that a player exhibits commitment and can apply his experience. That’s something Cristiano possesses, along with a tonne of expertise and dedication to the national team.
In Group J, Slovakia and Luxembourg drew 0-0, while Bosnia-Herzegovina defeated Iceland with a score of 3-0.
AT PARKEN, POIGNANT
At the start of their Group H qualifying match in Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium, Denmark and Finland were accompanied by a poignant atmosphere.
The playmaker from Denmark, Christian Eriksen, went into cardiac arrest during the last meeting between the teams at Euro 2020, which took place at the same site.
As a result of Rasmus Hojlund’s hat trick in his debut start for his nation’s team nearly two years later, Denmark triumphed 3-1.
Northern Ireland defeated San Marino 2-0 while Slovenia defeated Kazakhstan 2-1.
FRIENDLY WITH RUSSIA
Russia competed in a soccer match against a country outside the former Soviet Union’s borders for the first time since the country invaded Ukraine.
Rasmus Hojlund, a striker, made his first start for his nation.
Northern Ireland defeated San Marino, while Slovenia defeated Kazakhstan 2-1. In front of 78,000 fans, Russia and Iran played to a 1-1 draw in Tehran, which came after Russia sought deeper ties with the Asian Football Confederation for several months. UEFA has prohibited Russia from taking part in the Euro 2024 qualifying rounds.
From the penalty spot, both goals were scored. Mehdi Taremi, a striker for Iran, erased Anton Miranchuk’s opening goal. Miranchuk was chosen for a team with only Russian players.
Prior matches between Russia and Kyrgyzstan ended in victories of 2-1 as well as 0-0 draws with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
