Cristiano Ronaldo issued the perfect response to rumours of '99 lashings' as football legacy boosted

In Iran, hugging an unmarried woman is seen as 'adultery'.

And with Portugal in action against Slovakia later in the day, it was something that threatened to cast a cloud over that match.

Since then, the Iranian embassy in Madrid have denied the claims.

But it was still a talking point prior to the match, with Portugal looking to seal their spot in next summer's European Championships.

Ronaldo is never one to shy away from the spotlight, however.

And he seemed to embrace the pressure on his shoulders and issued the perfect response by scoring twice on a positive night for his side.

Ronaldo is 38. He is not the same player he was during his prime years at Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus.

When it comes to scoring goals, however, the veteran remains in a league of his own and clearly still possesses the magic of yesteryear.

Ronaldo's first came from the penalty spot, with the forward converting from 12 yards after Paris Saint-Germain hitman Goncalo Ramos had opened the scoring.

Slovakia were then able to pull back a consolation before Ronaldo struck again in the 72nd minute.

It means Portugal have now joined France and Belgium by qualifying for next summer's showpiece event.

Ronaldo, despite entering the twilight years of his career, is likely to play a big role.

​He was written off by many after burning his bridges at United and leaving last winter by mutual consent.

Ronaldo didn't exactly dazzle at the World Cup in Qatar, either, appearing to toil as his side failed to take the competition by storm.

Portugal had gone into the competition as one of the favourites to go all the way, having finally assembled a complete squad.

Ronaldo started their first three matches against Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.

However, he was taken out of the side for Ramos for a 6-1 victory over Switzerland before being benched again for the quarter-final showdown with Morocco.

After Portugal lost to the African side, Ronaldo was devastated.

He cried as he made his way down the tunnel, with many feeling they'd seen the last of the golden oldie on such a grand stage.

Yet Ronaldo isn't going anywhere any time soon, something he showed on Friday night.

He now has 125 goals for his country, moving even further away from Iran's Ali Daei when it comes to the highest international scorers in footbal history.

Ronaldo was also making his 202nd appearance for his country. That's six more than Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa, who has 196 caps to his name.

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And with Portugal now guaranteed to be at the Euros next summer, Ronaldo will be hoping to get the chance to lead his side to glory.

On current form, that looks like something that will happen.