In an exciting match, Cristiano Ronaldo broke the record for the highest number of international appearances, surpassing the previous record held by Bader Al-Mutawa. The Portuguese forward scored two goals in the 4-0 win over Liechtenstein, taking his international tally to an impressive 120 goals. Portugal also had contributions from Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva, who scored a goal each in their European Championship qualifying Group J match.
Meanwhile, England began their qualifying campaign with a 2-1 win over reigning champions Italy. Harry Kane became England’s all-time leading scorer with his 54th goal for his country, surpassing Wayne Rooney’s record. Declan Rice opened the scoring before Kane scored from the penalty spot.
Although Italy’s Mateo Retegui scored on his debut, England held on to win despite finishing the game with 10 men after Luke Shaw was sent off for two yellow cards. In the same group, North Macedonia defeated Malta 2-1.
In Northern Ireland’s Group, Dion Charles scored twice to give Northern Ireland a 2-0 win over San Marino in Michael O’Neill’s second stint in charge. Kazakhstan lost 2-1 at home to Slovenia, while Denmark beat Finland 3-1 in the same group.
Overall, it was a night for record-breaking performances as football fans witnessed history being made on the international stage.
