Ronaldo makes history
CRISTIANO Ronaldo became the first man to score at five FIFA World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022) when he netted home a penalty in Portugal’s 3-2 victory over Group H rivals Ghana.
At 37 years and 292 days old on 24 November, with that goal Ronaldo became the oldest player to score for Portugal at a World Cup.
He also holds the record for being the youngest, having scored for his nation at the 2006 World Cup at 21 years and 132 days old.
In taking to the pitch for the game against Ghana in Qatar, Ronaldo additionally joined Lionel Messi, Lothar Matthäus, Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Márquez and Francisco Guillermo Ochoa as the only men to play in five World Cups.
First red card
WALES’ goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey became the first player at the 2022 Qatar World Cup to see a red card after he collided with Iran’s Mehdi Taremi.
The card shown was initially a yellow before it was upgraded to a red.
Hennessey is now the third goalkeeper in World Cup history to be sent off with a red card.
Six in a row
ENNER Valencia’s goal against The Netherlands was his sixth World Cup goal in a row for Ecuador — no other Ecuadorian player had scored in the meantime.
Valencia scored all three of Ecuador’s goals in the group stage of the World Cup in 2014. The South American side did not qualify for the 2018 edition in Russia.
The 33-year-old thus joins a select group that includes Portugal’s legend Eusebio in 1966, Italy’s Paolo Rossi in 1982 and Russia’s Oleg Salenko in 1994.
Lewandowski’s first
ROBERT Lewandowski was in tears after scoring his first World Cup goal in Poland’s 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia.
The Barcelona striker could not hide his emotions after doubling his side’s lead with eight minutes remaining to seal victory for his side.
The 34-year-old had gone five World Cup games without a goal and missed a penalty in his team’s opening Group C game against Mexico.
Lewandowski now has over 600 career goals and equals Pele’s tally of 77 international strikes.
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