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Cristiano Ronaldo came up with an incredible effort as Portugal registered a dominating 5-0 victory over Armenia in their WC Qualifiers opener on Saturday night.

Ronaldo bagged a brace, continuing his magnificent goal-scoring run. It took just 10 minutes for Portugal to go 1-0 ahead as Joao Cancelo reached the byline and lifted a precise cross onto the head of Felix, who had little trouble breaking the deadlock.

Skipper Ronaldo extended Portugal's lead after 21 minutes as he brushed past his marker to meet a cross from close range for his 139th international goal. The rout continued as Cancelo added a third for Portugal, finishing from Felix’s cut-back after 32 minutes.

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A minute after the restart, Ronaldo produced a moment of brilliance, unleashing an incredible volley from distance that found the back of the net, with Armenia goalkeeper Henri Avagyan managing the faintest of touches but was powerless to stop it. Just past the hour, Felix raced into the box to meet a rebound from a blocked shot that seemed to slip past him, only for the forward to flick the ball in with a clever back-heel to give Portugal a fifth.

Ronaldo finished the game with 140 international goals to his name. He surpassed his long-time rival Lionel Messi on the all-time goal-scoring charts in FIFA World Cup qualifiers, moving up to 38 goals in 48 appearances, edging the Argentinian superstar’s 36 goals in 72 matches.

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The legendary footballer will be aiming to top the charts when the UEFA Nations League winners go up against Hungary later next week and have four other games left in the qualifiers. Only Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz has scored more goals in WC qualifiers, standing one ahead of Ronaldo with 39 goals in 47 appearances.

Most goals in FIFA World Cup qualifiers

Carlos Ruiz (Guatemala): 39 goals in 47 matches

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): 38 goals in 48 matches

Lionel Messi (Argentina): 36 goals in 72 matches

Ali Daei (Iran): 35 goals in 51 matches

Robert Lewandowski (Poland): 31 goals in 40 matches

Luis Suarez (Uruguay): 29 goals in 64 matches

Ronaldo said on social media it was the "first step taken" in his quest to appear at a sixth World Cup.