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Journalist Piers Morgan heaped praise on Cristiano Ronaldo following Portugal's 2-1 win over Germany in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League. The 40-year-old's goal in the second half ensured a win for Roberto Martinez's side over Die Mannschaft, taking them to the finals.
Taking to Twitter, Morgan said:
BREAKING:
@Cristiano just scored his 137th goal for Portugal in 220 matches, at the age of 40… in the semi-final of an international tournament.
The 🐐 keeps on doing it.
Incredible.
He added:
The match-winner.
Portugal beat Germany for the first time in 25 years to reach the final.
Take a bow @Cristiano 👏
The 40-year-old timed his run well to latch onto Nuno Mendes' cut-back for a simple tap-in, giving the side the lead in the 68th minute. It was a record-extending 137th goal for the European giants, scored by the legendary forward.
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Earlier, following a close goalless first half, Florian Wirtz had given Germany the lead in the 48th minute. Francisco Conceicao came off the bench to level things with a stunning effort in the 63rd minute before Ronaldo seized the moment. The result marked Portugal's first win over Germany in 25 years. They will now face the winner of the clash between Spain and France in the finals of the tournament.
Roberto Martinez heaps praise on Cristiano Ronaldo as Portugal edge past Germany in Nations League semis
Portugal national football team manager Roberto Martinez stated that Cristiano Ronaldo's drive and desire to succeed were difficult to describe. The 40-year-old got on the scoresheet as the Selecao beat Germany 2-1 in the semi-finals of the Nations League.
He said (via the BBC):
"It's difficult to put into words. He takes each day as an opportunity to get better," said Portugal boss Roberto Martinez.
"As a human, when you have success, you wake up and you have less hunger. But not Cristiano."
His tap-in to give the side the lead in the second half means the Al-Nassr superstar now has 137 goals in 220 games for Portugal. Both those figures represent the highest-ever achieved by any player in the history of the men's game.
Ronaldo has also spoken about his desire to get to 1000 career goals. With 937 on the board and no signs of losing his fitness, the 40-year-old could reach the tally in the next couple of seasons and could still play a massive role for Portugal in the World Cup next year.
