Johannesburg : Portugal star striker Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that he is inching closer towards his ‘dream’ of lifting an international title, after his side edged past Poland on penalties to reach the semifinals of the Euro 2016.
After both sides settled with a 1-1 draw at the end of the regulation time and the extra time, Portugal defeated Poland 5-3 in the penalty shootout to reach their fourth semifinal at the last five European Championships.
Skipper Ronaldo, who failed to score any goal for his side, netted the opening penalty to put them in lead before Poland’s Robert Lewandowski levelled the score.
Renato Sanches and Joao Moutinho then scored their respective penalties for Portugal, but Arkadiusz Milik and Kamil Glik once again equalized the score for Poland at 3-3.
Poland midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski then missed his crucial penalty after Nani put the Portuguese ahead.
Ricardo Quaresma, who scored the winner in the last-16 match against Croatia, subsequently scored the decisive winner to lead Portugal to another memorable win.
Describing the victory as `unforgettable`, the 31-year-old said that he would feel privileged to finish his career at the moment as he has had achieved almost everything with the team.
The Real Madrid forward, however, expressed his desire to win the title with the national team, Sport24 reported.
Portugal will now lock horns with either Belgium or Wales for a place in the finals of the Euro 2016. (ANI)