"One last dance in Europe", "Messi fans crying" - Twitter explodes as Cristiano Ronaldo brace helps Portugal beat Bosnia and Herzegovina

Fans anticipate a final flourish in Europe from Cristiano Ronaldo following his brace in Portugal's 5-0 victory at Bosnia and Herzegovina in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier on Monday (October 16).

Despite having already qualified for the finals in Germany next year, Roberto Martinez fielded a strong XI, with captain Ronaldo starting up front with Rafael Leao and Joao Felix.

The decision paid immediate dividends, as the Selecao opened the scoring through Ronaldo from the spot inside five minutes. It was the 38-year-old's 1,100th goal contribution for club and country.

Ronaldo was it again, doubling the visitors' lead 15 minutes later. Bruno Fernandes, Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix also joined the party as Portugal led 5-0 at the break at Bilino Polje in Zenica.

There were no more goals in the second half as Martinez's side laid down their title credentials. Fans reckon Ronaldo is looking to win another European Championship at the fag end of his illustrious career.

With their eighth win in as many Euro 2024 qualifiers, Portugal have emerged as one of the top contenders to go all the way in Germany next year.

Meanwhile, with his brace in Zenica, Ronaldo overtook Erling Haaland (39) as the most prolific goalscorer for club and country in 2023. Nine of his goals have come for Portugal and 31 for his current club side Al-Nassr.

How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared for Portugal in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying?

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been on fire in the ongoing UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers. The 38-year-old has scored nine times in seven games to power the Euro 2016 champions to next year's finals.

Ronaldo opened with braces in the 4-0 home win over Liechtenstein and the 6-0 win at Luxembourg before drawing a blank in the 3-0 home win over Bosnia and Herzogovina.

The Al-Nassr forward, though, returned to scoring ways in his next outing, marking a record 200th international game with the winner in the 1-0 win at Iceland. The 38-year-old didn't score in the 1-0 win at Slovakia, where a yellow card ruled him out of the 9-0 home win over Luxembourg.

Cristiano Ronaldo then bagged a brace in the 3-2 home win over Slovakia, which confirmed Portugal's place at the Euro finals next year. He also produced another brace on Monday in the 5-0 win at Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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