LISBON: Cristiano Ronaldo scored a record 10th international hat-trick to take his career tally to an incredible 58 as Portugal brushed Luxembourg 4-0 in World Cup European qualifying Group A.
The 36-year-old scored two penalties 13 minutes before Bruno Fernandes (17) and and Joao Palhinha (69) further increased the lead to put the result beyond doubt, while Ronaldo struck his 115th international goal late on.
It’s yet another record for the all-time leading goalscorer at this level while he’s now struck 54 times in his last 49 matches since October 2016. He also has 58 hat-tricks in his career which is three more than Lionel Messi.
RONALDO’S OVERALL GOALS RECORD
Teemu Pukki scored twice to break Jari Litmanen’s international goals record for Finland in their World Cup qualifying victory over Kazakhstan.
Norwich forward Pukki netted in each half to take his international tally to 33, one more than the former Barcelona and Ajax playmaker.
Litmanen scored in the last of his 137 games for Finland in 2010, while Pukki has earned 98 caps for his country.
The result puts Finland level on points with second-placed Ukraine in Group D.
With both nations trailing France by four points, a play-off place may represent their best opportunity of reaching the 2022 finals in Qatar.
TUESDAY’S EUROPEAN WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS