The Portugal national team kicked off its journey in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers with a convincing victory over Armenia, and as so often, the main protagonist was Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese captain struck twice, not only helping extend the rout but also moving closer to his most ambitious personal milestone: reaching 1,000 official career goals.

A historic brace for Cristiano

In the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo latched onto a pass from Rúben Neves and finished clinically with his right foot to open his tally for the night. Then, in the second half, he struck again with a powerful shot from outside the box that left Armenian goalkeeper Henri Avagyan with no chance.

With these two goals, the Portuguese star reached 942 official career goals, while also raising his international tally with Portugal to 139 goals, further cementing his status as the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football. At 40 years old, Cristiano continues to prove that age is no obstacle, standing just 58 goals away from the 1,000 mark.

Portugal off to a strong start

While the spotlight was on their captain, Portugal’s rout had other stars as well. João Félix impressed with two goals, including a spectacular backheel, while João Cancelo also got on the scoresheet in the first half. Gonçalo Ramos, meanwhile, provided an assist shortly after coming off the bench.

On the other side, Armenia created little danger, limited to set-piece efforts from Eduard Spertsyan and Hovhannes Harutyunyan, neither of which troubled goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

The start of the Qualifiers could hardly have been better for Portugal, who now turn their attention to their next match against Hungary in Budapest. Still, the night’s headlines belong to Cristiano Ronaldo, who with every goal moves closer to joining the exclusive 1,000-goal club—a milestone once thought impossible but now closer than ever.