The night of Thursday, September 5, 2024, will go down as perhaps Cristiano Ronaldo’s greatest milestone since CR7 scored the 900th goal of his incredible career.
In the game against Croatia, on the first day of the Nations League, which saw the Iberians win 2-1 at “Da Luz”, in Lisbon, Ronaldo’s march towards 40 years of age was 2-0 for Roberto Martinez’s team.
The Portuguese star has scored more than any other player in the history of the sport, according to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS). Next comes Lionel Messi with 838 goals and then Pelé with 762.
Ronaldo is also the top scorer in Real Madrid’s history with 450 goals, first in the Champions League/Champions League with 140 (Messi 129) and first in the National Team with 131 (Messi 109 with Argentina).
However, it was an equally important night for San Marino, whose national team recorded their first win in a competitive match for 34 years and their first match in November 1990.
The team from the independent state of 35,000 inhabitants defeated Liechtenstein 1-0, with a goal from 19-year-old Nico Sensoli in the 53rd minute.
In more than 200 matches, San Marino recorded 194 defeats, 10 draws and only one victory, in a friendly, 1-0 and again against Liechtenstein (April 2004), when Sensoli had not yet been born!
Results and top scorers:
LEAGUE A
GROUP A
- Portugal – Croatia 2-1 (7′ Dalot, 34′ Ronaldo – 41′ Dalot’s own)
- Scotland – Poland 2-3 (46′ Gilmour, 76′ McTominay – 8′ Szymanski, 44′ pen. Lewandowski, 90’+7 pen. Zalewski)
D’GROUP
- Denmark – Switzerland 2-0 (82′ Dorgu, 90’+2 Hoiberg)
- Serbia – Spain 0-0
LEAGUE C
GROUP A
- Azerbaijan – Sweden 1-3 (82′ Dadasov – 65′, 71′ Isak, 80′ Gyokeres)
- Estonia – Slovakia 0-1 (70′ Suslov)
GROUP III
- Belarus – Bulgaria 0-0
- Northern Ireland – Luxembourg 2-0 (11′ McNair, 16′ Ballard)
LEAGUE D
GROUP A
- San Marino – Liechtenstein 1-0 (52′ Sensoli)