Spain, Portugal assured of quarterfinal spots in UEFA Nations League
Spain ensured it has the chance to defend its UEFA Nations League title after booking a place in the quarterfinals thanks to a 2-1 win away to Denmark in Group 4 on Friday.
Post Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick against Lithuania on Thursday night, Portugal defender Mario Rui said that the Juventus forward is the best in the world and it is his hunger for goals that makes him the player he is.
Notably, 34-year-old Ronaldo scored a treble in Portugal’s 6-0 win over Lithuania in Thursday’s UEFA 2020 European Championship qualifying match at the Estadio Algarve.
It was Ronaldo’s 55th career hat-trick and the talisman now has 98 international goals in his basket. The Portuguese international could become the second footballer to cross the 100 mark and is now just 11 goals short of Iranian Ali Daei, who holds the record for most international goals.
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“He is the best in the world, never tired of winning, wanting more, and it is this hunger that makes him what he is,” Rui told A Bola as quoted by BR Football.
The Portugal left back expects from his teammate to continue like this. “We are happy to have him on the team and I hope he will continue to give us joy as he has done so far.”
With the win on Thursday, Portugal have now almost confirmed their spot in at next summer’s showpiece tournament. The reigning European champions could have qualified Thursday itself, but a fighting 3-2 win of Serbia over Luxembourg kept Portugal’s hopes waiting.
Ronaldo drew the first blood for the hosts by scoring in the 7th minute from the spot and followed it up with curling effort into the top corner of Lithuanian net in the 22nd minute.
The hosts did not seem to pay any heed to the visitors’ frustration as Ronaldo put the final nail in Lithuanian coffin when he scored his team’s sixth and his third of the night.
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