Ronaldo scores a hat-trick, Portugal moves closer to Euro 2016.
The Real Madrid superstar scored all three goals for Portugal in their 3-2 victory away against bottom-placed Armenia.
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Ronaldo continues to be the driving force for Portugal. Photo: Reuters. |
Ronaldo's three goals were scored in three different styles. The equalizer, making it 1-1, came from a penalty, the second showcased his incredible burst of speed, while the final goal was a powerful shot from 25 meters.
Armenia had taken the lead earlier in the match thanks to Marcos Pizzelli's goal in the 14th minute. In the 62nd minute, Portugal were reduced to 10 men when Tiago received his second yellow card and was sent off. In the final minutes, Armenia put Portugal under pressure but only managed one more goal from Hrayr Mkoyan to seal the match with a 2-3 victory.
The victory in Armenia solidified Portugal's position at the top of Group I with 12 points. Portugal are 5 points ahead of second-placed Albania and have played one more game.
Ronaldo increased his goal tally in Euro qualifiers and finals to 26. This was also the Real Madrid star's third consecutive hat-trick, having previously achieved this in the last two La Liga matches against Espanyol and Getafe.
Group I - Euro 2016 Qualifiers
| TT | Team | Match | Win | Peace | Lose | Difference | Point |
| 1 | Portugal | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| 2 | Denmark | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| 3 | Albania | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 7 |
| 4 | Serbia* | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 |
| 5 | Armenia | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 1 |
(*) Serbia had three points deducted.
According to VNE
