crushed Luxembourg in the Euro 2024 qualifiers on the evening of September 11, in a match without Cristiano Ronaldo due to suspension.
In the previous round, Ronaldo received his third yellow card since the beginning of Euro 2024 qualifying. He had accumulated enough cards to have to miss a match. Without Ronaldo, coach Roberto Martinez let Goncalo Ramos play in the center position. Nelson Semedo, Goncalo Inacio, Danilo and Diogo Jota are also new names from the starting lineup in the 1-0 win over Slovakia on September 8.
Portugal soon put pressure on Luxembourg’s goal, and opened the score in the 12th minute thanks to midfielder Goncalo Inacio. From Bruno Fernandes’s trivela cross, Inacio headed the ball past goalkeeper Anthony Moris. This is the 22-year-old player’s first goal after three matches for the national team.
Goncalo Ramos (red shirt, left) celebrates after scoring in Portugal’s 9-0 win over Luxembourg on the evening of September 11. Photo: Sapo
Six minutes later, the ball passed through Fernandes and Bernardo Silva’s feet and then passed to Goncalo Ramos. With space, the PSG striker turned and finished accurately to double the gap. Ramos scored for Portugal for the first time since scoring a hat-trick in the 6-1 win over Switzerland at the 2022 World Cup.
After two early goals, Luxembourg almost broke the match. The away team only controlled the ball 38% and faced 21 shots. In the 34th minute, Portugal scored the third goal. After Rafael Leao’s run and wing cross, Ramos eliminated a Luxembourg player and completed his personal double.
Next, in the fourth minute of injury time of the first half, the home team increased the score to 4-0. Fernandes recreated the opening goal when he crossed for Inacio to head the ball past goalkeeper Moris. The goal also ended the best first half under coach Roberto Martinez.
Fernandes (No. 8) celebrates Jota’s goal. Photo: Sapo
Portugal slowed down after the break, but still played effectively. In the 59th minute, after a long pass from Fernandes, Diogo Jota ran down to face Moris and increased the score to 5-0.
About an hour after the opening whistle, Luxembourg had its first and only shot towards goal. However, Leandro Barreiro could not beat goalkeeper Diogo Costa. Meanwhile, Portugal only took seven more minutes to increase the score to 6-0. Substitute Ricardo Horta scored with his first shot after entering the field.
In the 77th minute, Jota completed a personal double when he scored in the Luxembourg penalty area. After three assists for Inacio and Jota, Fernandes put his name on the scoreboard with a goal in the 83rd minute. Substitute striker Joao Felix closed out the big victory for the home team, with a shot from outside. penalty area in the 88th minute.
This is Portugal ‘s biggest win since the beginning of Euro 2024 qualifying. Through six matches, coach Martinez’s team scored 24 goals and has not conceded a single goal. Thanks to that, they are very close to getting a ticket to Euro 2024. Currently, Portugal is leading Group J with 18 points, five points ahead of second-place Slovakia and eight points ahead of third-place Luxembourg. If they win against Slovakia on October 13, Ronaldo and his teammates can win tickets three matches early.
