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A late Cristiano Ronaldo brace helped Portugal secure a 2-1 comeback victory over the Republic of Ireland on home turf.
The hosts were looking to bounce back after a disappointing defense of their European Crown, and coach Fernando Santos named a strong XI at the Estadio Algarve.
A fast start to the game saw Portugal handed an early opportunity as referee Matej Jug pointed to the spot after Jeff Hendrick committed a foul in the area.
Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take the spot-kick but saw his effort thwarted by Gavin Bazunu.
Diogo Jota hit the post with a header near the half-hour mark, but Portugal went into the break behind, which was against the run of play.
Jamie McGrath whipped in a corner that was headed home by John Egan to give the Republic of Ireland a halftime lead.
The second half was one-way traffic, with Portugal asking all the questions. However, a resolute Irish defense kept them at bay. Just when it looked like the visitors would secure all three points, Cristiano Ronaldo turned the game on its head with two dramatic late headers.
The first of these saw him head home Goncalo Guedes' cross in the 89th minute to surpass Ali Daei as the highest-scoring international male player in history.
Portugal appealed for a late penalty in injury time, but the referee was unconvinced even after having a VAR review.
It didn't matter, though, as Cristiano Ronaldo completed a remarkable turnaround with another expertly glanced header in the sixth minute of injury time.
The victory was well-deserved in the overall balance of play, and here are five talking points from the dramatic game at Faro.
#5 Portugal seize the initiative in Group A
Portugal came into the game level on seven points with Serbia, who are due to play Luxembourg in three days' time.
This gave them an opportunity to go clear at the summit of the table in Group A. Despite making hard work of it, the 2016 European champions ultimately got the job done.
The victory moves Portugal onto 10 points. They are three points clear at the summit of the standings ahead of their trip to take on Azerbaijan next week.
Only the top-placed sides in the groups are guaranteed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup next year. With this victory, Portugal kept their aspirations for Qatar 2022 on track.
#4 Fernando Santos makes inspired substitutions
Portugal dominated proceedings from start to finish but were let down by a lack of a cutting edge in the final third.
Time and again, the hosts did everything right in the buildup only to go wanting when it came to the final ball.
This led Fernando Santos to make some tactical changes, and two of his substitutes proved to be difference-makers on the night.
Cristiano Ronaldo will expectedly make all the headlines and rightly so, owing to his record-breaking feat. However, credit should also go to the two men who supplied him the crosses.
Both goals came from almost identical positions on the field, and the two men who provided the assists, Joao Mario and Goncalo Guedes, were second-half introductions.
#3 Bruno Fernandes has another mixed performance in Portugal's colors
Bruno Fernandes has been nothing short of spectacular since joining Manchester United, but he has struggled to replicate his output with Portugal. The 27-year-old was anonymous at the last European Championship and lost his starting shirt midway into the group stage.
Having started the new campaign on a breathtaking note with his club, it was expected that the former Sporting Lisbon man would bring this form onto the international stage.
That was not the case against Ireland, as Bruno Fernandes once again failed to make much of a positive impact for Portugal. He failed to hit the target with any of his three shots on the night, although he did create three chances for his teammates.
It says a lot about his ineffectiveness that Fernando Santos elected to take the Manchester United man off on the hour-mark to bring on Joao Mario. This was despite Portugal trailing at that point and in need of goals.
Bruno Fernandes' quality is not in doubt and on his day, he is one of the very best attacking midfielders in the world. However, his inability to transform his club form onto the international stage is far from ideal for a player of his standing.
#2 Tired Irish legs gave out in the end
Portugal have a distinctly better team than the Republic of Ireland and few, if any, gave the visitors any chance of victory on Wednesday.
However, football is a game that springs surprises every now and then. That proved to be the case when Stephen Kenny's men went ahead against the run of play at halftime.
The second 45 minutes were practically played in Ireland's half, with Portugal asking all the questions. However, a combination of dogged defending and a lack of attacking bite from the hosts saw the visitors hold on.
All that defending told on the Irish players, and they began to tire in the face of wave after wave of Portuguese attacks.
Portugal ultimately took advantage of the increased space afforded to them, and Ireland were duly punished for giving Cristiano Ronaldo a whiff of a chance in the box.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo cements his legacy as the greatest international goalscorer in history
Cristiano Ronaldo is a record-breaker, and that much has been established in his two-decade-long career. The Madeira native has redefined the meaning of greatness on a football field and shows no signs of slowing down, despite being close to 37 years old.
He grabbed the headlines the world over last week following his unexpected and shock return to Manchester United. The dust had barely settled on the marquee news from Old Trafford when the five-time Ballon d'Or winner once again immortalized his name with another record.
He came into the clash with Ireland level with Iranian legend Ali Daei on 109 goals in the international scene. This saw both men tied as the greatest male goalscorers in the history of international football.
Ronaldo had the chance to have the record all to himself in the 15th minute but surprisingly fluffed his lines from 12 yards. Knowing the former Real Madrid man, it was only a matter of time before he made amends, and he did so in spectacular style.
He rose highest to glance home the equalizer with one minute to go in regular time. Despite the significance of the goal, he barely celebrated and instead urged the fans to motivate the side for the winner.
The second goal was even more dramatic. With all three points guaranteed, the Portugal skipper wheeled away for a shirt-off ripped-body iteration of his 'siuuu' celebration.
Cristiano Ronaldo's brace moved him onto 111 goals in the colors of Portugal and two goals clear of Ali Daei.
A breakdown of his goals for Portugal shows that the FIFA World Cup qualifiers lead the way with 33 goals from 42 matches. The FIFA Confederations Cup brings up his lowest return with two goals in four matches.
The Euro qualifiers (31 goals), friendlies (19), Euro (14), FIFA World Cup (seven) and UEFA Nations League (five) complete the itinerary.
For context, no other player in history has managed to score 90 goals, while the nearest active players are Ali Mabkhout and Lionel Messi, who are tied on 76 goals apiece.
Also See: Three reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo will cross the 800-goal mark
