The night of Thursday, September 5, 2024, will henceforth perhaps be the most significant milestone for Cristiano Ronaldo, as CR7 scored the 900th goal of his incredible career.
In the match against Croatia in the first round of the Nations League, which saw the Iberians triumph 2-1 at the “Da Luz” in Lisbon, the soon-to-be 40-year-old Ronaldo netted the second goal for his team under Roberto Martínez.
The Portuguese star has scored more than anyone else in the history of the sport, according to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). Following him is Lionel Messi with 838 goals, and then Pelé with 762.
Ronaldo is also the all-time top scorer in the history of Real Madrid with 450 goals, first in the Champions League/European Cup with 140 (Messi 129), and first at the national team level with 131 (Messi 109 with Argentina).
Equally significant, however, was the night for San Marino, whose national team recorded its first win in history in an official match after 34 years, since its first match in November 1990.
The team from the independent state of 35,000 residents defeated Liechtenstein 1-0 with a goal from 19-year-old Niko Sensoli in the 53rd minute.
In more than 200 matches, San Marino had recorded 194 losses, 10 draws, and only one victory, in a friendly match, winning 1-0 against Liechtenstein again (April 2004), when Sensoli was not yet born!
Results and Scorers:
LEAGUE A
GROUP A
- Portugal – Croatia 2-1 (7′ Dalot, 34′ Ronaldo – 41′ own goal Dalot)
- Scotland – Poland 2-3 (46′ Gilmour, 76′ McTominay – 8′ Szymanski, 44′ pen. Lewandowski, 90’+7 pen. Zalewski)
GROUP D
- Denmark – Switzerland 2-0 (82′ Damsgaard, 90’+2 Hojbjerg)
- Serbia – Spain 0-0
LEAGUE C
GROUP A
- Azerbaijan – Sweden 1-3 (82′ Dadasov – 65′, 71′ Isak, 80′ Gyokeres)
- Estonia – Slovakia 0-1 (70′ Suslov)
GROUP B
- Belarus – Bulgaria 0-0
- N. Ireland – Luxembourg 2-0 (11′ McNair, 16′ Ballard)
LEAGUE D
GROUP A
- San Marino – Liechtenstein 1-0 (52′ Sensoli)