Portuguese goal-machine Cristiano Ronaldo displayed another heroics after scoring a hat-trick, including two late goals, to give Portugal a 3-1 win over Switzerland in a Nations League semi-final on Wednesday.
Portugal took the lead in the game after Ronaldo scored a free kick in the 25th minute, his first goal for his country for nearly a year.
But the Swiss equalized with a penalty kick after halftime which will raise more questions over the use of the VAR system.After a largely anonymous second half, Ronaldo suddenly sprang to life.
The Portuguese star scored twice in the last three minutes to complete the 53rd hat-trick of his career and the seventh for his country.
Even at 34, the Juventus goal forward showed that he is always a threat to his opponent. His goals — his first for his country since last year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia — rescued Portugal.
This was after the Swiss had dominated for the final half hour and threatened to snatch a shock win.
“There’s no adjective to describe him,” said Portugal coach Fernando Santos. “He’s a genius. You can be a genius in art, and in sculpture and he is a football genius.”
“It was an intense match, very hard-fought, against a very well-organized Swiss team,” he added.
Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic was left to rue a missed opportunity.
“We had the chance to get a second but didn’t take it. We got outnumbered at the back and conceded. Their top player made the difference,” he said.