Cristiano Ronaldo’s quest to play in a record sixth World Cup has begun in typical fashion with two goals as Portugal made a winning start to its qualifying campaign by routing Armenia 5-0 .

The match on Saturday marked a poignant day for the Portuguese as it was their first international fixture since the death of their forward Diogo Jota in a car crash in July along with his brother Andre Silva.

The stadium fell quiet as both teams observed a moment of silence before kickoff.

Ronaldo’s goals extended his record as the highest scorer in men’s international football to 140 and underlined his enduring motivation to keep setting more benchmarks before his storied career comes to an end.

The 40-year-old football great has recently signed a new contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Nass

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