Ronaldo hat-trick breaks Eusebio record

In Portugal's 4-2 win over Northern Ireland, the 28-year-old moved to second in the all-time goalscoring list with three second-half strikes

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed his pride at breaking Eusebio's goalscoring record with a hat-trick in Portugal's 4-2 win over Northern Ireland to become his nation's second-highest goalscorer of all-time.

A second-half trio of goals helped the Seleccao leap back into first place in their 2014 World Cup qualification group, two points ahead of Russia who have a game in hand.

Northern Ireland 2-4 Portugal: Ronaldo hat-trick completes stunning turnaround

A chaotic World Cup qualifier saw the hosts come back from 1-0 down but Helder Postiga's red card was countered by Chris Brunt's and Kyle Lafferty's in the second half

Northern Ireland were defeated 4-2 by Portugal in a chaotic World Cup 2014 qualifier that saw six goals - three of them for Cristiano Ronaldo - and three red cards.

Bruno Alves gave the visitors the lead after 20 minutes but, either side of half-time, Gareth McAuley and Jamie Ward turned things around as Michael O'Neill's side chased another unexpected result, buoyed by Helder Postiga's red card just before the break. Ward's goal, however, should have been ruled out for offside.

MATCH REPORT: Northern Ireland 1-0 Russia: Paterson strike secures stunning first win for O'Neill

A first-half Martin Paterson goal was enough to see Michael O'Neill's men record an impressive and important win at Windsor Park

Martin Paterson's headed goal helped Northern Ireland secure the first win of their World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign by beating Fabio Capello's high-flying Russia.

The diminutive striker combined well with Niall McGinn throughout proceedings but the pair's efforts were rewarded with 43 minutes on the clock when Paterson thumped the ball home.

That was enough to give Northern Ireland fans a first victory to celebrate since August 2011, when they ran out 4-0 winners over minnows Faroe Islands, while it also marked manager Michael O'Neill's first in charge.