"Another victory, another step towards our goal, another historic night in defense of our colours! Everything becomes easier when we play at home and in front of an audience that cares for us from the first to the last minute”, said the Portuguese international, in a message on social media.

Cristiano Ronaldo found the back of the net, at 8, 13 and 87 minutes, the first two were penalties, to reach 801 goals as a professional, Bruno Fernandes, at scored at 17 minutes, and João Palhinha, at 69 finishing off a symbolic score of five, 'quinas' being a popular term for the Portuguese coat of arms.

“I had promised that I would always be looking for more and more and more! It is in my DNA and in our DNA, we are never satisfied, we never let our arms down and we will always fight for everything we can achieve”, he stressed, after the 'hat-trick' he put up in today's game..

The Portuguese team stays in second place in the group, with 16 points, in six games, against 17, in seven matches, by Serbia, who beat Azerbaijan 3-1 at home.