A Ruben Dias brace was enough for Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo to end their UEFA Nations League 2020-21 campaign with a thrilling 3-2 win over World Cup runner-up Croatia. Ronaldo failed to score on the night but the win added another fresh feather to his already illustrious hat and took him to third in the list of most wins in international football. Ronaldo registered his 101st victory with Portugal after Ruben Dias headed into the net in the final minute of regulation time. The Juventus star, who is already closing on the becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in international football, can also soon become the player with most wins in men’s internationals. Croatia vs Portugal, UEFA Nations League 2020–21 Goal Video Highlights: Ruben Dias’ Brace Guide Reigning Champions to 3–2 Triumph.

Ronaldo needs only eight more goals to overtake Iran’s Ali Daei and become the all-time highest goalscorer in international football. He nearly made it 103 goals against Croatia but his free-kick was parried away by Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic before Ruben Dias scored on the rebound. But it looked like Ronaldo and Portugal will fall short of a win before Dias scored seconds away from the final minute after once again making most of a spill from the Croatia goalkeeper.

The 3-2 win took Ronaldo’s tally to 101 wins with the Portugal national team putting him only behind Spain duo Sergio Ramos (130) and Iker Casillas (121). Ronaldo is third in the all-time list of most wins in men’s international football. He overtook Xavi to climb to third in the exclusive list after Portugal came from a goal behind twice to win 3-2 over Croatia.

Cristiano Ronaldo Climbs to Third in List of Most International Wins

Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate Ramos currently leads the list with 130 wins and is set to increase his tally when Spain play in Euro 2020 as will Ronaldo. The Portuguese can, however, overtake former Real and Spain captain Iker Casillas with 21 more wins with the Selecao Portugal shirt on before chasing Ramos’ tally of wins.

Portugal and Ronaldo, however, leave disappointed after failing to reach the UEFA Nations League knockouts. The defending champions finished second in League A Group 3 behind France with 13 points, three behind the world champions. Portugal, however, will have another title to defend when the Euro 2021 begin next June.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2020 01:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).