What Cristiano Ronaldo Said After His Brace Against Slovakia Fired Portugal to Euro 2024

• Cristiano Ronaldo moved to 125 international goals with a brace against Slovakia
• The Al-Nassr forward's double helped Portugal book their tickets in next year's Euros
• He has since expressed his joy in helping his nation reach another competition

Cristiano Ronaldo expressed immense gratitude after propelling Portugal to secure a spot in the upcoming Euro 2024.

Ronaldo marked his 202nd international appearance for the Selecao by netting his 124th and 125th international goals, contributing to Portugal's 3-2 victory against Slovakia on Friday, October 13.

The 38-year-old, who has been in scorching form since the start of the 2023-24 season, firing on all cylinders for both club and country, stretched his almost unassailable scoring record in men's international football.

He swiftly got in on the act just before the half-hour mark, converting a penalty kick before notching another goal after PSG striker Goncalo Ramos had given the home side the lead, per BBC.

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The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus ace then added his personal brace and Portugal's third later in the second half when he scored from a Bruno Fernandes assist from close range.

Subsequently, Slovakia managed to narrow the gap with a remarkable long-range drive from Napoli's Stanislav Lobotka, but the 2016 European champions held on to clinch their seventh consecutive win in the Euro Qualifiers, securing their spot in the tournament slated for Germany next year.

Ronaldo later took to social media to express his joy and pride in leading his nation to yet another prestigious competition.

"We are at EURO 2024!" Ronaldo wrote on X (previously called Twitter).

He continued: "Very happy to help Portugal reach another final stage of a great competition. A special thank you to the Portuguese Football Federation and the fans present at the stadium for the beautiful tribute!"

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Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Ronaldo, the Al-Nassr superstar, notched a brace as Portugal clinched a thrilling 3-2 victory against Slovakia in Porto on Friday, securing their spot at Euro 2024.

With this win, Portugal has maintained a perfect record of seven wins from seven matches in Group J, amassing a total of 21 points and ensuring a top-two finish.