"900 goals coming today" - Fans react as Cristiano Ronaldo starts for Portugal in Nations League clash against Croatia
Fans backed Cristiano Ronaldo to score his record-900th goal against Croatia on September 5 after the Al-Nassr forward was included in the lineup by coach Roberto Martinez. The Nations League clash will be Portugal's first game after the disappointing defeat against France in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Cristiano Ronaldo is at 899 career goals for club and country, just one goal shy of the 900-goal mark. He has been in red-hot form in the new season, scoring four goals in as many matches for Al-Nassr.
Fans have voiced their opinions on X (formerly Twitter), expecting Ronaldo to reach the landmark in the upcoming game. Here are some of their reactions:
"900 goals coming today."
"Goat is ready to show fire," added another.
Another netizen commented:
"Le go goat ronaldooo."
"He is going to destroy Croatia," declared one fan.
"Good luck my boy," wrote a fan on X.
Another fan wrote:
"Ready to achieve 900."
Roberto Martinez has opted for a 4-3-3 setup for Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Pedro Neto, and Rafael Leao in the frontline. In midfield, Vitinha will be in the middle with Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandez operating on either side. Finally, Diogo Dalot, Ruben Dias, Goncalo Inacio, and Nuno Mendes will form the Portuguese backline. Diogo Costa will be stationed in between the sticks.
Portugal vs. Croatia explained in numbers as Cristiano Ronaldo aims for his 900th goal
Cristiano Ronaldo has already recorded a staggering 899 goals and 254 assists (1153 goal contributions) in 1235 games - taking his goal contribution tally to 0.93 per game. However, Croatia might be a tough nut to crack for the European giants.
Led by Luka Modric, Croatia reached the finals of the previous edition of the Nations League. However, they have been inconsistent lately, failing to reach the knockout stages of Euro 2024.
Portugal boast an excellent record against Croatia, winning six of the eight matches these two teams have played in the past. Croatia, on the contrary, have managed just one victory. Their solitary victory came in the last friendly meeting between the two sides, where Croatia won by a scoreline of 2-1.
Croatia haven't won any of their last three matches in all competitions, conceding six goals in total. Portugal haven't found the net in their last three matches but have been defeated only once, i.e., against France in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Fans can expect goals from today's clash as the last four games between the two teams haven't witnessed a single clean sheet with 13 goals being scored.