Soccer Football -World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group A - Portugal v Republic of Ireland - Estadio Algarve, Almancil, Portugal (Photo : after the match REUTERS/Pedro Nunes)
Celebrating his 200th international appearance in style, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive goal in Portugal's 1-0 victory over Iceland in the Euro 2024 qualifiers on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Norway's Erling Haaland showcased his striking prowess with a brace.
In other matches, Belgium dismissed controversies surrounding Thibaut Courtois' captaincy and defeated Estonia, courtesy of a Romelu Lukaku brace, while Moldova pulled off an astounding comeback from a two-goal deficit to vanquish Poland.
In Reykjavik, Portugal seemed set for an uninspiring stalemate until Willum Thor Willumsson's late red card. Despite a rough game, Ronaldo justified coach Roberto Martinez's trust, netting the winner from Goncalo Inacio's setup in the dying minutes of the game.
"There was incredible celebration... the first men's player ever in world football to get 200 international games," Martinez said in an interview with uefa.com. Initially ruled out for offside, Ronaldo's 123rd international goal was subsequently greenlit by VAR.
The Portuguese superstar called it an "unbelievable achievement." He added, "And of course to score the winning goal, it's even more special." This victory takes Portugal two points clear at the top of Group J with four consecutive wins.
Meanwhile, Luxembourg gave their Euro dreams a significant boost with a remarkable 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, placing them third in the group, just three points behind Slovakia.
The top two from each group will secure their spots in next year's finals in Germany automatically.
Controversy arose in the Belgium camp when Courtois expressed surprise after coach Domenico Tedesco announced at a press conference that he had declined to travel to Estonia following a captaincy snub. With Courtois back home, Lukaku, donning the captain's armband once again, led Belgium to a 3-0 win.
In Group F, Austria maintains their three-point lead after a last-minute 2-0 victory against Sweden, with Christoph Baumgartner scoring both goals.
Haaland's goals in Norway's 3-1 victory over Cyprus offered a glimmer of hope for their Euro dreams, while Scotland braved a heavy downpour and a near two-hour delay to maintain their perfect record with a 2-0 win over Georgia.
A dramatic turn of events saw Poland squander a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 against Moldova, which pushed them to the fourth spot in Group E. Moldova, who stand 171st in the FIFA rankings, are now third in the group.
Finally, Hungary ascended to the top of Group G after a comfortable 2-0 win over Lithuania, level on points with Serbia after their 1-1 draw against Bulgaria.
