It was one of those nights. The kind of night Cristiano Ronaldo has had and throughout his career: big opportunities, floodlights, star-studded fields, high stakes, obligation to give, pressure and stress.
It was Portugal vs France, in the heat of Budapest, with Portugal at risk of being knocked out of Euro 2020. It was Ronaldo who was just two goals away from Ali Dei's record for most goals in men's international football: 107 to 109.
And it was another night when the five-time Ballon d'Or winner did really well.
His two goals - from the penalty spot and the first he scored in his seventh match against Les Blaes - qualified Portugal for the Round of 16, where they face Belgium in Seville on Sunday. More impressive, however, is his achievement in yet another milestone, another incredible feat: 109 goals in 178 appearances for Portugal.
He is tireless, a machine. The record, which had seemed unattainable since it was set in 2006, will now be Ronaldo's outright sooner rather than later. Maybe before the end of this tournament, in which he is already the top scorer with five goals in three matches. Or maybe when World Cup qualifying resumes in September.
For now, however, he has cemented his position as the greatest of all time and Portugal's savior. He knocked them out in this 2-2 draw, just like he has done a million times before, in a night full of drama and controversy.
His game wasn't perfect, though - far from it. He misjudged a great opportunity for a header in the first half; They rarely get good service; And apart from his two penalties, he only had one more shot on his target. But he will never forget this day, the day his legend grew even bigger.
It will always be debated whether only 13 of his 109 goals have come against France, Germany, England, Italy, Spain, Belgium or the Netherlands; Which means that many more were built against (very) smaller sides. He won't care, and neither should you. The numbers are extraordinary, just like his longevity, his drive and his ambition. He is not done, far from it. But Portugal and Ronaldo will need more than that in the knockout rounds if they want to retain their group stage titles.
Oddly, Ronaldo was not adjudged the man of the match. Instead, the prize was given to the person with whom he swapped shirts at half-time: without rewriting the history of Karim Benzema Ronaldo, it would have been Benzema's night. To be fair, the Frenchman is probably too happy to share it with his former Real Madrid teammate, whose brace didn't spoil their evening.
Wednesday was actually the first time both Ronaldo and Benzema scored as opponents in the same match; He netted 81 times in a single game as Madrid teammates. They assisted each other on goals 19 times (11 times Benzema to Ronaldo, eight times.
France has its reasons to be happy. Benzema's first goal since being recalled by Didier Deschamps will be to take the load off his shoulders. He will be full of confidence and will play freely. If you were Switzerland's defense, who face the French in Bucharest on Monday, you should be concerned.
"Of course I was looking forward to these goals," Benzema told French television after the game. "There is a lot of pressure around me. I didn't doubt it but I can feel the expectation from the whole country, which is normal after waiting for five or six years. Celebrating with fans warmed my heart and made me hopeful." There will be many more such nights there."
On Zinedine Zidane's birthday, Benzema overtook him as the oldest player to record a brace for France at the Euros (33 years and 186 days, versus 31 years and 356 days).
Les Blaises took control of the game in the second half, and without Rui Patricio's excellent save on Paul Pogba's wicked shot and denied another penalty despite Bruno Fernandes' foul on Kingsley Coman in the field, the world champions all easily. could take it home. three points. They were again the commanding force that won the World Cup in Russia three years ago and are still very favorites to go all the way this year as well.
Pogba was once again brilliant, establishing himself even more as the leader of this team with another impressive performance. He and N'Golo Kante are still unbeaten when they start together for France. It's been 29 games now and still no one has managed to improve them.
However, Deschamps will regret the two mistakes that cost Portugal two goals.
"We had to fight hard," he said after the game. "We gave them two goals on two penalties and we made it difficult for ourselves. But we are at the top of our group, which is the best position. A new competition starts now."
On Wednesday in Budapest, we were reminded that two things are certain in football: Ronaldo will never stop scoring goals, and France will always top their group under Deschamps in major competitions - now a perfect four for four.