Warming up: Ronaldo and co prepare for Euro 2016

Portugal captain scores twice in 7-0 win over Estonia

PARIS: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice for Portugal before becoming the last of the football superstars to arrive in France for today’s start to the European Championship finals.

With the host nation under a state of emergency over feared terror attacks, strict security has greeted Ronaldo and other headline players as well as the hundreds of thousands of foreign fans gathering for the month-long, 51-match fiesta.

France launch the tournament with a Group A game against Romania today at the Stade de France —one of the targets of the November 13 attacks last year.



Ronaldo scored twice in a 45 minute appearance for Portugal in their 7-0 win over Estonia on Wednesday night, their final match before their first Group F game on Tuesday against Iceland.

The three-time World Player of the Year, looking to win a first international trophy, banished doubts over his fitness with his two-goal display in Lisbon that allowed Portugal to head for France full of confidence. “It has been a long season,” he said. “I would have liked to have played more, but I need to hold back and give others playing time.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2016.

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