Ronaldo's Hatter Saves His Nation

Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes for this season's Ballon d’Or may be dampened under the Messi cloud, but that's not putting him off his national duties.

Dude scored a hat trick to give Portugal the upper hand in a 2-3 thriller against Armenia in Euro 2016 qualifying play from Group I.

Aspersions have been cast here and there about Ronaldo’s international abilities, but the critics must be silent for now. Armenia may not be the toughest of opponents, but they're a fierce defensive side at this level.

In this one, Armenia's offense first delivered the goods with a sneak attack:

And a thundering strike, at that. Does someone want to wake up Rui Patrício now?

Enter Ronaldo, with a calm shot from the spot to level it all up:

Damn, if he was a golfer, that would've been a pitch-&-run with a seven iron.

Proof yet again that not all 'keepers can be Scott Sterling:

Ronaldo may be a winger, but he looks more like a striker out there:

The only thing missing from his footballing résumé is goalkeeping.

The long-ball game rose to a whole new level as Patrício notched an assist:

Why let Armenia have all the thundering shots?

Armenia did come back but Ronaldo had already won it.

Dudes can boom 'em when they get the chance, but Patrício really would do well to get with the program.

Meanwhile, the Ballon d’Or may not be as straightforward as expected this year.