Hungary vs Portugal reaction: Cristiano Ronaldo reveals he had to 'chase down the scoreboard' in thrilling draw
Ronaldo becames the first player to score in four different European Championships
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Your support makes all the difference.Cristiano Ronaldo said he had to ‘chase down the scoreboard’ in ‘an insane match’ as he rediscovered his scoring touch to break yet more records and keep Portugal at Euro 2016.
Ronaldo scored twice and made a further goal in the 3-3 draw with Hungary in Lyon, which made him the first player to score in four different European Championships, while also breaking the record for most appearances in the finals, 17.
“We played good match,” he said. “It was an insane game. They attacked, we attacked. There were many goals. It was very hot. I am happy because the team was in dire straits: three times we had to chase down the scoreboard and equalise.
“Our priority was to win the match and finish first. We failed to do that but we met the bottom line because we wanted to qualify. Of his records he said, “that comes naturally”, which may not have been meant as arrogantly as it reads.
“This is what Cristiano is all about,” said Portuguese coach Fernando Santos. “He needs to score because he is a winner and a scorer, he feeds on goals. He is a confident player but this will increase his confidence levels further for the next match.”
“You cannot always keep him quiet,” said Hungary’s Bernd Storck. “He is a world class player. He could have scored in their other games.”
Storck was delighted to take Hungary into the knock-out stages in their first tournament in 30 years but said of comparison to the great Hungarian teams of the past, “of course we have a great history, but this team deserves to be talked about for themselves.”
Santos was less appreciative. Though congratulating Hungary he said “they scored three lucky goals. I would like to praise my players because three times we were out of the next stage due to shots that were pure luck and that can bring anyone down. I think over these three matches we played more than enough to finish first.”
It looks as if Portugal will play Croatia and Santos said: “Croatia are one of the sharks, we wanted to avoid them. They are a strong side, look at the players they have.” More positively Ronaldo added: “We're facing a very good team and the odds are 50-50. They have very good players, not every team manages to beat Spain, but we know our worth and we will look them in the eyes when we face them.”
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