Cristiano Ronaldo looks to be in scintillating form in the days leading up to the EURO 2024. The Portuguese superstar netted a brace in an international friendly against Ireland on Wednesday, June 12. It was the final preparatory assignment for Portugal ahead of the European Championship, with Ronaldo and his men signing off with a dominant 3-0 victory on home soil. Joao Felix opened the scoring for Portugal in the 18th minute and the scoreline remained unchanged till the first-half whistle. Ronaldo, who played the full game, stepped up in the second half to increase the lead. In the 50th minute, the 39-year-old pulled off a thunderous strike off his left foot that went into the net from the top corner.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s incredible strike into the top corner pic.twitter.com/1sjFrezSFr
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) June 11, 2024
Ronaldo received an aerial pass just inside Ireland’s penalty area. With two defenders charging at him, the Portugal captain took time to locate the gap between them. He took a brief halt before launching a bullet-like shot. Irish goalkeeper Kelleher might have not been ready for the sudden strike as he failed to get his hands on the ball.
Ronaldo took merely ten minutes to make it 3-0 for Portugal. This time, he utilised a pass from Diogo Jota, who ripped apart the Ireland defence with his tenacity and vision. He pulled off a brilliant run through the left flank and baffled a few opposition defenders before providing Ronaldo with a square pass inside the penalty box. The former Real Madrid man made no mistake to connect it and sent the ball into the net from the near post.
After going trophyless with Al Nassr last season, questions were raised about Ronaldo’s form ahead of the EURO. The Portuguese forward seems to have managed to shut his critics with his match-winning performance against Ireland. Apart from leading the forward line, Ronaldo also controlled the midfield, linking up with Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot.
The victory against Ireland will no doubt boost Portugal’s confidence ahead of the EURO, slated to begin on June 15 in Germany. They had earlier played two more friendly games against Finland and Croatia and triumphed on both occasions. Portugal will kick off their campaign in the 2024 EURO with a group-league fixture against Czechia on June 19.
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