Ronaldo inspires Portugal to semis

Skipper scores 75th international goal in 4-0 win over New Zealand at Confederation Cup

SAINT PETERSBURG: Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his delight at firing Portugal into the Confederations Cup semi-finals after netting his 75th international goal in Saturday's 4-0 thrashing of New Zealand.

"I'm very happy to be in the semi-finals. We're confident and want to win," said Ronaldo, who picked up his third straight man-of-the-match award in Russia.

"I thought we played well in many parts of the game; in others, not so well. Overall though, it was a fair victory," said Portugal coach Fernando Santos.

Ronaldo's latest goal sent him level with Hungary great Sandor Kocsis and to within nine of the legendary Ferenc Puskas' European record of 84 at international level.

Meanwhile, Mexico eliminated hosts Russia with a 2-1 win to join Portugal on seven points, with the Gold Cup winners to meet the second-placed side from Group B in the last four.

"We knew we were going to have a really tough game against a very strong side in the host nation, who simply had to go for the win," said Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio. "This is a big victory for Mexican football. I think we deserved to win and we're delighted with the result and the performance of the team."

For Russia, it was their final competitive fixture ahead of next year's World Cup, but coach Stanislav Cherchesov remained upbeat despite his side's early exit.

"I'm confident that all the players who've taken part in the tournament will draw on the experience to develop and mature," he said. "Three quarters of the squad have never played at this level, and with new players coming through all the time I'm optimistic about the future."

Sanchez showing Arsenal his worth in Russia

Alexis Sanchez, 28, surpassed former La Roja star Marcelo Salas with his 38th international goal in Thursday's 1-1 draw with world champions Germany in Russia to become his country’s top goalscorer and is showing Arsenal just what they might lose out on as he stalls on a new contract.

Sanchez has a year left on his Gunners contract but is yet to sign a new deal with Arsenal and has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich.

He made his Chile debut a decade ago, scoring his first international goal against Switzerland in a 2007 friendly, and Sanchez marked his 112th appearance with a record-breaking strike.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet," he said after eclipsing former Lazio and Juventus striker Salas as his country's record goalscorer. "I'll perhaps only realise what it means after a little time goes by or when I'm old even. For the time being I just want to keep enjoying myself with the national team. I hope, though, that when I'm sitting at home having a glass of wine one day I will see someone surpass my record."

Chile head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi led the praise for his star striker.

"He's always motivated and grateful to his team-mates, which made it possible to reach the milestone, they helped him get there," Pizzi told reporters on Saturday. "Our style of play means we put personal milestones in the background, but any time a player achieves something like this it is always gratifying."

Sanchez has claimed two further landmarks in Russia, notably drawing level with Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo as Chile's most-capped player.

His goal against Germany was also the 400th goal in Confederations Cup history, and Sanchez's achievements haven't gone unnoticed by his teammates.

"I'm very happy for him. He deserves it," said Eduardo Vargas, third on Chile's all-time list with 34 goals alongside Ivan Zamorano. "He's a great player who doesn't just score goals — he helps the team too."