Becoming the first men’s player to make 200 international appearances, Cristiano Ronaldo was in good form for Portugal, grabbing a late winner in a 1-0 win vs Iceland, in their UEFA Euro Qualifiers, at the Laugardalsvollur in Reykjavik, on Wednesday. With both teams failing to score, Ronaldo found the back of the net in the 89th-minute to get three points for his side.
The match also saw Iceland reduce to 10 men with 10 minutes of normal time remaining, as Willum Willumsson was sent off for a second yellow card. The Portugal captain missed several chances throughout the match, and was also booked for diving in the 83rd-minute.
The 38-year-old striker finally found the back of the net in the 89th-minute when Goncalo Inacio headed the ball down for him to score from close range. After Ronaldo converted the chance, Portugal had to wait to celebrate as VAR took time to confirm the goal.
During a post-match media interaction, Ronaldo left a cameraman in splits. The cameraman was zooming into Ronaldo’s face, to which the Al Nassr man quipped, “Not too close, eh! Too many wrinkles!”
Here is the video:
Speaking to UEFA’s official website after the match, Ronaldo said, “So happy. It’s that kind of moment that you never expect to do it, 200 caps. For me it’s an unbelievable achievement. Of course, to score the winning goal, it’s even more special.”
It was also Ronaldo’s 123rd international goal. Before kickoff, he was honoured by the Guinness World Records for reaching 200 games for Portugal.
Meanwhile, Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez said, “It was a nice script (for Ronaldo). There was incredible celebration, the first men’s player ever in world football to get 200 international games. It takes a lot of commitment, a lot of effort and it’s an example. An example for Portuguese football and example for the country of Portugal and world football.”