Ronaldo becomes the player with the most caps in the history of a national team (197). Atalanta striker and AC Milan midfielder let loose against Finland and Iceland as Italy’s next opponent Malta lose away to Macedonia
Cristiano Ronaldo breaks records, Hojlund goes wild and Krunic gives himself a day as a goalscorer. In the first evening of the Euro2024 qualifying matches, CR7 becomes the player with the most caps in the history of a national team and leads Portugal (4-0 against Lichtenstein) with a brace. Two goals also for the Milan midfielder in Bosnia-Iceland (3-0), while Malta – Italy’s next opponent – went out in Macedonia: 2-1 with a goal by Elmas. Slovenia (2-1 in Kazakhstan) and Northern Ireland (2-0 in San Marino) also won, while Hojlund put his stamp on Denmark’s success: 3-1 against Finland and three goals for the Atalantino. Finally, the match between Slovakia and Luxembourg ends with clean sheets, it is the surprise of the evening.
NORTH MACEDONIA 2-1 MALTA
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Elmas and his companions, on paper, started off as favorites. The national team led by Marcolini, however, is organized in both phases and plays a game of great intelligence. On the pitch with the 3-4-3, the Maltese excelled in the defensive phase, closing the first half without conceding a goal. The first shot on goal comes from Elmas in the 60th minute: Bonello blocks, but the Napoli midfielder repeats himself six minutes later, this time sending the ball past the goalkeeper. Five minutes go by and the newcomer Churlinov scores the 2-0. In the final, rookie Yankam closes the gap after a series of rebounds in the area, but it’s too late to come back: Macedonia wins and takes the top of the group.
PORTUGAL-LIECHTENSTEIN 4-0
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Among the players called up are Ramos, Joao Mario, Jota and Leao. For the new coach Martinez, however, Ronaldo is not discussed: Cristiano is still starting and becomes the player with the most caps (197) in the history of a national team. The attacker is the most dangerous of him but Liechtenstein initially hold the ball. At the end of the first half the score was 1-0 thanks to a razor from distance by Cancelo. The full-back is unleashed: in the 46th minute Bernardo serves the ball to double his lead, in the 50th minute he wins a penalty which allows Ronaldo to celebrate. CR7 takes a run up and hits the bottom corner, in the 63rd minute he scores an encore with a stone from a free kick: for him there are 120 goals with the national team.
BOSNIA-ICELAND 3-0
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With Dzeko on the bench, Krunic rediscovers himself as decisive in the opposing half. Coach Hadzibegic’s team clings to the Milan midfielder, lined up alongside Roma player Tahirovic. The Rossoneri scored two goals in the first 45′: in the quarter of an hour he turned around in the area and smashed the goal like a true number 9, in the 40th minute he came in at the right moment and beat the goalkeeper with a delicate touch. The match becomes one-way in the second half: Bosnia finds the trio with Dedic who enters from the left and gives himself a goal … to Robben, signing the final 3-0.
DENMARK-FINLAND 3-1
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The visitors don’t create great chances, but coach Hjulmand’s national team plays by heart and entertains its fans. On the pitch there are some protagonists of Serie A: Kjaer, Mahele and the former Dorian Damsgaard, plus the baby Hojlund who takes the ball home. In the 21st minute, the Atalanta centre-forward deflected a cross from Bah, Benfica’s winger and Inter’s next opponent in the Champions League, onto goal. In the second half, the Danes got distracted and Finland equalized, with the first shot on goal, with a shot by Antman. In the final Hojlund scored again, this time on the development of a corner, with a goring that left Hradecky no way out. For the Atalantino it was an evening to remember, but the icing on the cake came in full recovery: in the 93rd minute the 20-year-old reached a cross from Daramy, found the third goal of the evening and flew to the top of the scorers.
SAN MARINO-NORTHERN IRELAND 0-2
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San Marino is the least equipped team in group H: Northern Ireland has a duty to take advantage of it, to keep up with Slovenia and Denmark. Before the break, the guests had the ball in the game and scored with Charles, good at attacking the far post and pushing a cross from Washington on goal. The script repeats itself in the second half: a cross from the left, this time from Lewis, and a goring from Charles who finds his personal brace. The game ends like this: Ireland, Slovenia and Denmark rise to 3 points, while Kazakhstan, Finland and San Marino remain at zero.
SLOVAKIA-LUXEMBOURG 0-0
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Without the injured Skriniar, coach Calzona’s Slovakia relies on three “Italians” in the middle of the field: Duda (Verona), Lobotka (Naples) and Kucka, the 36-year-old from Slovan Bratislava with a past in Serie A. In the first half, the formations are equal, even the second half is devoid of great opportunities: the match in Trnava ends goalless.
KAZAKHSTAN-SLOVENIA 1-2
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Kazakhstan starts better, then the quality of the… Slovenians in Italy emerges. At the Astana Arena, Samorodov made it 1-0 after 25′. In the second half the guests wake up and equalize with Brekalo. On the pitch are Bijol and Lovric from Udinese, but the decisive contribution comes from Stojanovic from Empoli. The blue full back reinvents himself as a playmaker and, 10′ from the end, finds the winning pocket for Vipotnik, born in 2002 from Maribor, making his debut for the national team. The baby striker beat the opposing goalkeeper with a first touch, giving Slovenia first place (level on points with Denmark and Ireland) in group H.
March 23, 2023 (change March 23, 2023 | 23:27)
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