'Just the beginning': Portugal's Ronaldo cherishes win over Switzerland; leaves mom emotional

Cristiano Ronaldo dedicated a goal to his mother in the stands as Portugal beat Switzerland in an impressive 4-0 display.

Image Credit: Cristiano Ronaldo Instagram

Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo dedicated a goal to his mother, Maria Dolores, in the stands as Portugal defeated Switzerland in a stellar 4-0 display in their UEFA Nations League clash on Sunday.

The 37-year-old was the star of the night with two first-half goals, but in truth, the Portuguese superstar could have had three or four strikes as his country ran Switzerland ragged. The other two goals to seal Portugal's emphatic win came from William Carvalho and Joao Cancelo.

A win for Portugal ensures they have four points from their opening two Group A2 matches and are ahead of second-place Czech Republic on goal difference. Switzerland is on zero after back-to-back losses and is now winless in their last four encounters since they qualified for the World Cup in Qatar.

Image Credit: Twitter

Carvalho opened the scoring when he reacted quickest to the loose ball when a Ronaldo free-kick was parried before the latter bagged a quickfire brace to extend his record tally of international goals to 117. This moment made Ronaldo's mom emotional as she was seen wiping away tears from her eyes.

Image Credit: Cristiano Ronaldo Instagram

The Manchester United icon should have had a hat-trick when he wasted two excellent opportunities before halftime, the first a barely believable miss from six yards, but it was left to Cancelo to score the fourth for Portugal in the second half.

Taking to Instagram after this crucial win, Ronaldo lauded the team and also stated this was just the beginning. "A very important victory in our journey, a lot of pride and confidence in this group, a lot of strength to give the Portuguese what we so desire: victories and convincing performances. It seems that the season is ending, but in fact… this is just beginning! 🇵🇹🙏🏽💪🏽" the Portuguese star wrote.

Portugal host Czech Republic in their next fixture on Thursday, while Switzerland entertains Spain in Geneva on the same evening.