Ronaldo scores 3 in Portugal win, passes Pele in goals table

TIL Desk Sports/ Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick to move past Pele on the list of all-time international goalscorers as Portugal beat Faeroe Islands 5-1 to stay close to Switzerland at the top of Group B in World Cup European qualifying.

Ronaldo netted with a neat volley from inside the area then added two other goals to surpass the Brazil great and move into second place on the list of Europe’s all-time scorers with 78 goals. He’s six behind Hungary great Ferenc Puskas.

Pele scored 77 goals for Brazil. Switzerland stayed perfect in qualifying by defeating Andorra 3-0 in a match interrupted by poor pitch conditions under heavy rain in St. Gallen.

The Swiss reached 21 points, three more than second- placed Portugal, and is guaranteed to finish first or second in the group. The winner automatically qualifies for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, while the runner-up has to go through a playoff.

Hungary stayed a distant third with 10 points after defeating last-placed Latvia 3-1 at home. Ronaldo scored twice in the first half and once after the break to reach 14 goals in seven Group B matches.