This archive report was first published on 15 June 2021.
Ronaldo Breaks Euro Goalscoring Record in Portugal's Thrashing of Hungary ¶
On June 15, 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo netted a double to become the European Championship's all-time leading scorer as Portugal struck three times late on to beat a stubborn Hungary 3-0 in their Euro 2020 opener at a packed Puskas Arena.
Portugal's 36-year-old captain has now scored 11 goals in the tournament, two more than French great Michel Platini, who netted nine times when he led France to glory in 1984.
Ronaldo is also just three goals away from matching Iranian Ali Daei's all-time international scoring record of 109.
The Puskas Arena, with a capacity of almost 68,000 fans, was the only Euro 2020 venue not to limit fan capacity due to Covid-19.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos opted to play Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and Bernardo Silva alongside Ronaldo ahead of Joao Felix.
However, it was Raphael Guerreiro who made the vital breakthrough in the 84th minute, and Ronaldo slammed in a penalty shortly afterwards before tapping home in injury time.
The Juventus striker has now broken the record in front of the biggest crowd of the tournament, with Budapest the only Euro 2020 venue not to limit fan capacity due to Covid-19.
World Cup winners France and three-time European champions Germany meet in the other Group F game later in the day at Munich's Allianz Arena.
