Ronaldo vs Bosnia October 2023Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo's key attribute Portugal 'need to use' picked out by Roberto Martinez after Euro 2024 qualifying rout against Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Ronaldo bagged a brace
  • Helped Portugal beat Bosnia 5-0
  • Martinez hailed Ronaldo's experience

WHAT HAPPENED? The forward hogged the limelight with a quickfire brace that propelled the Seleccao to a 5-0 win in their latest Euro 2024 qualifier. Bruno Fernandes, Joao Cancelo, and Joao Felix also got their names on the scoresheet as Portugal romped to their eighth consecutive victory - a new national team record.nRonaldo took just five minutes to open the scoring with his 160th career penalty and scored the second 15 minutes later after Felix set him up with a perfectly weighted through ball. Portugal boss Martinez lavished praise on the 38-year-old for his dominant performance and insisted that he will look to make the most of his experience to achieve international glory.

WHAT THEY SAID: "Cristiano Ronaldo has maximum experience and we need to use that. We are very clear about what we need to do to get the best out of each player for the team," Martinez told reporters after the match. "I think that in international football we need time and synchronization to play with clarity. The clarity we had allowed us to play as a team and individual quality comes much easier. I really liked it."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: With his brace against Bosnia, Ronaldo became the first player in 2023 to touch the 40-goal mark. It marks the 12th season in his career where he has scored at least 40 goals in a calendar year. The Al-Nassr forward also overtook Manchester City's Erlind Haaland for the most goals scored this year, as the Norwegian has 39 strikes to his name so far.

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IN TWO PHOTOS:

Ronaldo vs Bosnia October 2023Getty ImagesRoberto Martinez, Head Coach of PortugalGetty Images

WHAT NEXT? After confirming the top spot in Group J of the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Ronaldo will now shift his attention to club football and will return to action with Al-Nassr on Saturday against Damac in the Saudi Pro League.

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