Fernando Santos praises Cristiano Ronaldo after late rescue act

Fernando Santos has praised the determination of his players after Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Portugal to a late 2-1 win over Egypt.

The European champions were heading for defeat in Geneva prior to their star man's late intervention, as he scored twice in stoppage time to snatch victory.

Ronaldo now has 81 goals at international level for Portugal, leaving his manager lost for words when asked to describe the Real Madrid superstar.

"Ronaldo is this. Ronaldo is a goal. He's a goal!" Santos told RTP. "We were better in the first half, but with some less correct nuances in the offensive aspect. We could not create great opportunities, but by our way of playing we could have scored goals.

"I tried to rectify it in the second half, but things did not go well. The game was more broken and we conceded a goal in which we appeared to lack defensive aggressiveness. The substitutions made after the goal caused difficulty.

"The team was broken. Thanks to the players, the team went up and happiness comes to those who are looking for it, thanks to the determination of a team that never allows to lose, always wins."

Portugal have lost just one of their last 14 matches, winning 11 of those.