Stuart Kavanagh
- Sep 2, 2021
- 2 min read

World Cup Qualifying: UEFA MD 4 Night One

Updated: Oct 12, 2021

European qualifying rounds for the 2022 FIFA World Cup resumed overnight with matchday four. Groups A, D, F, G, & H all saw fixtures take place. For all the latest scores tables and a closer look at the match of the day, please read on.

The pick of the matches took place at the Estadio Algarve, where the home nation Portugal hosted the Republic of Ireland. The subplot saw Cristiano Ronaldo chasing the Ali Daeis' record as the most prolific striker in international competition.

Things didn't start well for the Irish when Jeff Hendrick fouled Bruno Fernandes in the box, handing A Seleção the opportunity to take the lead inside the first 10 mins. Inexplicably, CR7 saw his shot saved from teenage goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, momentarily denying the Portuguese the chance to write himself into the history books.

No matter how Bazunus career goes from this point, he will have a story for his grandchildren many years from now. Things started to look even brighter for The Boys In Green when defender John Egan nodded home a corner as his first international goal had given the Irish a shock lead.

It looked like being one of those nights for Portugal. And Ronaldo for that matter. As the clock ticked closer and closer to the final whistle it seemed Cristiano Ronaldo's wait to overtake Ali Daei as the most prolific scorer in international competition. We all know that the man is not a fan of waiting.

In the 89th minute, he nodded home a perfect cross to break the record and beat the teenage goalie who had kept him at bay all night. With his name firmly etched in the history books, there was only one more thing to break - Irish hearts. And with the last touch of the game, he did just that, nodding home a Joao Carlos cross to give his country a deserved victory and widen his lead at the top of the all-time international goalscoring charts.

Elsewhere on the continent, other matches of note included Bosnia and Herzegovina secure a valuable point away to the faltering World Champions France as Jules Kounde saw red. Denmark continuing their impressive recent form to take care of Scotland 2-0 and lastly the big Haaland vs Van Dijk encounter in Holland ended in a 1-1 draw with Virgil Van Dijk having his dislocated finger gruesomely put back into place on the sidelines.