Cristiano Ronaldo extended his world record international goals tally to 117 after scoring a brace in Portugal's 4-0 Nations League victory over Switzerland on Sunday, while Erling Haaland also grabbed a double for Norway and Gavi made history for Spain.
Ronaldo, 37, had gone five games and nearly nine months without an international goal until Portugal routed Switzerland at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
After scoring twice in four first-half minutes, Ronaldo missed two more good chances before half time, had a goal disallowed for a late offside flag and forced Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel into two good saves late in a lopsided League A game between two World Cup-bound teams in Lisbon.
It is now 117 goals in 188 international games for the Manchester United forward heading to his fifth World Cup in November, where Portugal are in a group with South Korea, Uruguay and Ghana.
The Swiss had a goal ruled out early on, for a handball spotted by VAR, before Portugal took the lead in the 14th minute when William Carvalho reacted to a loose ball after Kobel parried Ronaldo’s free kick that was deflected.
Ronaldo made it 2-0 with an emphatic shot when the ball was laid back to him by Diogo Jota, then pounced on a close-range rebound after Kobel saved from Jota. Joao Cancelo completed the rout in the 68th minute with a 20-yard shot after Kobel raced out and failed to clear a through ball.
Portugal lead top-tier Group 2 with four points after drawing 1-1 at Spain on Thursday, while Switzerland have lost three games and drawn one in 2022 and it gets no easier hosting Spain and Portugal in Geneva next week.
Haaland on target
Haaland, who will join Manchester City this summer, moved on to 18 goals in 19 games for Norway after scoring twice in a 2-1 win against Sweden in League B to show why the 21-year-old forward will be the biggest talent missing in Qatar.
Haaland, whose goal beat Serbia on Thursday, scored from the penalty spot in the first half against Sweden, and extended Norway's lead in the 69th minute, advancing to score with an angled shot. Manchester United forward Anthony Elanga pulled one back for Sweden in injury time.
Serbia beat visiting Slovenia 4-1, with Aleksandar Mitrovic opening the scoring midway through the first half. It was a 45th international goal in 73 games for the 27-year-old Fulham forward.
Mitrovic’s previous goal for Serbia was in November when his 90th-minute winner in Portugal sent Serbia to the World Cup and put Ronaldo and his teammates into the playoffs. Serbia are in a World Cup group with Brazil, Switzerland and Cameroon.
Gavi makes history
Gavi became Spain's youngest ever goalscorer and Inigo Martinez headed home a late equaliser as Spain drew 2-2 with the Czech Republic in Prague.
Barcelona midfielder Gavi scored with a low curling left-footer at the record age of 17 years and 304 days, levelling the first-half score at 1-1 just before half time.
Martinez blasted his header just over the line off the crossbar in the last minute of the game to hand Spain a draw.
The Czechs went up twice with counter-attack goals by Jakub Pesek and Jan Kuchta in the Group B, League A game.
"We didn't feel well most of the time and didn't do as well as we had wanted," Spain manager Luis Enrique said. "We lacked fluency so the game was really tough."
Spain will next face Switzerland in Geneva on June 9 while the Czechs are due to take on Portugal in Lisbon on the same day.
