Ronaldo broke Puskas record with bullet header

The Portugal superstar headed home in just the fourth minute of the Group B encounter in Moscow to surpass former Hungary and Spain striker Ferenc Puskas and move his tally to 85 on his 152nd appearance for his country.

Portugal took a corner short but quickly whipped it in, surprising their opposition who failed to pick up the Real Madrid forward, leaving him open to easily head the ball into the back of the net for his fourth goal in two World Cup games.

Ronaldo equalled Puskas' record of 84 - scored in just 89 matches - with a thrilling hat-trick in Friday's absorbing 3-3 draw with pool rivals Spain.

The Real Madrid forward is now second on the all-time international list, but still has some way to go to catch Ali Daei, who netted 109 times in 149 outings for Iran.

Ronaldo's strike also moved him back ahead in the race for the World Cup Golden Boot, after Denis Cheryshev pulled level on three goals with his effort during Russia's 3-1 win over Egypt on Tuesday.

 

June 20, 2018