Cristiano Ronaldo was the star man for Portugal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ for the second match running, scoring the winner against Morocco at the Luzhniki Stadium to eliminate the North Africans. After his hat-trick heroics against Spain in his side’s opener claimed a single point, one goal was enough to secure all three today.
Morocco played their part in an enthralling match, their vociferous fans cheering their side on for consistent waves of attack against the stern Portuguese defence. Younes Belhanda came closest for the Atlas Lions, but his header was superbly kept out by Rui Patricio.
In the end, it was a decisive header from Ronaldo that claimed the win, his strike coming after just four minutes. Portugal will come up against a familiar face in Carlos Queiroz in their final Group B fixture, while Morocco will have purely pride to play for when they face Spain.
Budweiser Man of the Match
Cristiano Ronaldo – While there was no repeat of his stellar showing against Spain, Ronaldo’s opener was the difference between the sides in Moscow, while also sending him back to the head of the top scorers table.
The stat
85 international goals for Cristiano Ronaldo is a new record for a European player, with Ronaldo passing Ferenc Puskas today to hold the record outright. He is now second on the all-time list of international goalscorers behind Ali Daei (109 goals).
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Source: FIFA
