Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to lead Portugal to a convincing 3-0 victory

In their final warm-up match before Euro 2024, Portugal easily defeated the Republic of Ireland 3-0 on Tuesday, thanks to two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo. Roberto Martinez's team recovered from a setback against Croatia last week to bolster confidence ahead of the tournament in Germany, with Joao Felix also hitting the mark.

Ronaldo, 39, was benched for that match but began in Aveiro against Ireland, coming close in the first half before destroying the visitors in the second. Pepe, a 41-year-old defender who is expected to break the record for the oldest player to play in the Euros, also started.

Ronaldo stated:

"The Portuguese expect a lot from Portugal, there's no margin for error, none, they always want Portugal to win because of the generation, the talent there is," Ronaldo remarked.

After competing in the tournament's first edition in 2004, Ronaldo is set to make his sixth and final appearance.
"Going back to 2004... my thoughts and my pride remain the same," Ronaldo stated.

"We have to have our feet on the ground and our thoughts in the sky, dreaming of the Euros."

"For the Euros we have to think positively, this team has to dream and has been working hard, because just having talent is no use if there's no hard work."

The striker for Al-Nassr went down under pressure, missed a penalty kick, and then, at the conclusion of the first half, sent one straight at Caoimhin Kelleher.

After halftime, Ronaldo scored quickly with an incredible shot that curled into the top corner. He didn't have to wait long to do so.

Following Diogo Jota's discovery of him in a favorable position, the former Real Madrid shooter quickly added another.

Another assured finish from Ronaldo gave him a record-tying 130th goal for his country.

Under interim coach John O'Shea, Ireland started to fatigue, and although Portugal did not extend their advantage, the striker missed a chance to complete his hat-trick by inches.

"The game against Croatia served to bring us down a peg and today we did a great job, it's about following this line," Felix said.

Portugal's first game in Euro 2024 is on June 18, against the Czech Republic, followed by matches against Turkey and Georgia in Group F. The competition starts on Friday.