Brasilia: Cristiano Ronaldo provided Portugal with a major confidence boost ahead of the World Cup when he made a successful return from injury on Tuesday.
Playing his first match since the Champions League final, Ronaldo`s presence helped reignite Portugal`s stuttering attack in a 5-1 romp over Ireland at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Ronaldo was not among the scorers and was substituted after 64 minutes but showed glimpses of his best and came through the friendly unscathed after missing his country`s last two warm-up matches because of problems with his left knee and right thigh.
The World Player of the Year almost scored in the 18th minute with a dipping free kick that hit the post and again in the 37th minute with a header he directed straight at Irish goalkeeper David Forde.
Hugo Almeida pounced on Forde`s rebound to register the second of his two first-half strikes as the Europeans rediscovered their scoring touch after managing just one goal in their two previous friendlies against Mexico and Greece.
Almeida opened the scoring in the third minute when he climbed above the defence and headed a cross from Silvestre Varela into the back of the net.
Portugal scored again in the 20th minute when Fabio Coentrao fired in a low shot from the left that took a wicked deflection off Irish defender Richard Keogh straight over Forde`s head.
Trailing 3-0 at halftime, Ireland pulled one back early in the second half when Wesley Hoolahan took a quick free kick and James McClean turned inside and rifled a shot from his left foot into the corner.
But Portugal dominated the rest of the match, banging in two more goals against an Irish side that failed to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil. Substitute Vierinha scored in the 77th minute when Forde initially saved his header but parried the ball straight back to him.
Then Coentrao finished off the rout when he clinically finished off an inch-perfect pass from Nani, who played superbly off the bench and had a late back-heeled goal disallowed for offside.
Midfielder Raul Meireles, who has had a thigh problem, also made his return in another welcome boost for Portugal who are drawn in the same group as Germany, Ghana and the United States for the World Cup, which starts in Brazil on Thursday.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.