Ronaldo Makes More History As Portugal Tops Morocco At World Cup
MOSCOW (CNN) - Cristiano Ronaldo scored his fourth goal of the World Cup to become the second-highest goalscorer in men's international football and, in the process, earn Portugal a 1-0 win over Morocco on Wednesday.
The Real Madrid star followed up his hattrick against Spain on Friday with a fourth-minute header which was his 85th goal for his country in 152 games. No other European player has scored as many as the Portuguese, and only Ali Daei, with 109 goals for Iran, is above him in the scoring charts.
Before the match, Portugal coach Fernando Santos said that his team must not solely rely on their captain. But once again, it was Ronaldo who proved to be the match winner, though his performance was not as spectacular as his display in the 3-3 draw against Spain.
The result puts Portugal, with four points from two games, in a strong position to progress from Group B. Morocco will rue giving Ronaldo too much freedom in the six-yard box. Portugal's supremacy was confined to the scoresheet. In terms of possession, passes made and attempts on goal, Morocco was the superior team.
Noureddine Arabat and Hakim Ziyach were particularly impressive as Morocco targeted Portugal down the flanks. But, despite their best efforts, Morocco was unable to conjure an equalizer.
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