Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in Portugal’s 5-0 victory over Armenia, marking a strong start to his campaign for a record sixth World Cup appearance.Ronaldo’s goals increased his record tally in men’s international football to 140, showcasing his continued drive to set new standards before retiring.At age 40, Ronaldo recently signed with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr and led Portugal to victory in the UEFA Nations League last summer. The World Cup remains the only major trophy missing from his collection, while his rival Lionel Messi claimed the prize with Argentina in 2022.The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico could be Ronaldo’s final opportunity to win the tournament. Both he and Messi would be making their sixth World Cup appearances, surpassing other players who have appeared in five tournaments.Ronaldo, who has won the Champions League five times and the European Championship with Portugal, scored in both halves at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium during Portugal’s Group F opener.His second goal came from approximately 25 meters, followed by his signature celebration with arms spread wide.Joao Felix contributed two goals, including the opener in the tenth minute, while Joao Cancelo also scored.“It was a near-perfect performance,” said Portugal midfielder Vitinha.England secured a 2-0 victory against Andorra at Villa Park, maintaining their perfect qualifying record.Thomas Tuchel’s team leads Group K with four consecutive wins, thanks to Christian Garcia’s own goal and Declan Rice’s header.England’s performance under Tuchel remained unconvincing, despite Harry Kane’s efforts.Their previous 1-0 win against Andorra in June received criticism from British media, followed by a 3-1 home defeat to Senegal in a friendly.Tuchel made extensive squad changes, but England still struggled against 174th-ranked Andorra.Garcia’s inadvertent deflection of Noni Madueke’s cross opened the scoring in the 25th minute.Andorra’s goalkeeper Iker Alvarez made impressive saves to deny Eberechi Eze and Elliott Anderson after halftime.Rice scored with a header from Reece James’ cross in the 67th minute.“The energy was right, quality was there. We should have scored more,” Tuchel said.Kane missed his best opportunity when failing to connect with James’ first-half cross.Serbia moved to second place in Group K after defeating Latvia 1-0.England faces Serbia on Tuesday in their most challenging group match.“We know what’s coming. It’s a difficult away game, but it’s a crucial game for us because we can make a huge step into the qualification, and we are well aware of it,” Tuchel said.Portugal’s match marked their first game since former player Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a July car accident.Ronaldo’s celebration included pointing to the sky after his first goal, while Cancelo honored Jota by recreating his gaming celebration.“Diogo will always be with us. Celebrating Joao Cancelo was a beautiful moment,” midfielder Joao Neves said.“It was about winning, giving everything,” teammate Vitinha added.Paris Saint-Germain announced injuries to French forwards Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue during international duty.Dembele faces up to six weeks out with a right hamstring injury sustained against Ukraine.Doue will miss approximately four weeks due to a right calf strain.Ireland achieved a 2-2 draw with Hungary after trailing by two goals.Adam Idah equalized in stoppage time after Hungary established an early 2-0 lead through Barnabas Varga and Roland Sallai.Evan Ferguson reduced the deficit after halftime, and Hungary’s Sallai received a red card for fouling Dara O’Shea.Despite Hungary’s defensive efforts with ten men, Idah’s late header secured the draw.Bosnia and Herzegovina and Austria maintained perfect records in Group H.Edin Dzeko scored twice in Bosnia’s 6-0 victory over ten-man San Marino, leading the group with twelve points after four matches.Austria holds second place with one game fewer, securing a 1-0 win against Cyprus through Marcel Sabitzer’s penalty.
