Record victory without the record goalscorer: Portugal celebrated the biggest victory in its association’s history in qualifying for the European Football Championship in Germany, even without the suspended superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Selecao dismantled the previous surprise team Luxembourg in Faro 9-0 (4-0) and sits at the top of the table in Group J without losing any points or conceding a goal.
In second place, already five points behind, is Slovakia, who left nothing to be desired against the point-less and goalless bottom team Liechtenstein in a 3-0 (3-0) win: the final score was reached after just six minutes.
Luxembourg, which had never even come close to taking part in the finals, suffered a major setback after three consecutive wins against the 2016 European champions and is three points behind the Slovaks.
Goncalo Ignacio (12th, 45th + 4) and Goncalo Ramos (18th, 34th) brought Portugal into safe waters before the break. Diogo Jota (57th, 77th), Ricardo Horta (67th), Bruno Fernandes (83rd) and Joao Felix (88th) increased. Portugal had previously won 8-0 three times, twice against Liechtenstein and once against Kuwait.
European Championship qualification: Bosnia loses on Iceland
Luxembourg, with five German legionnaires in the starting line-up, including captain Laurent Jans, who plays for third division team Waldhof Mannheim, had no chance. Ronaldo, the world’s most successful scorer in international matches with 123 goals, was never missed.
Bosnia-Herzegovina was unable to capitalize on Luxembourg’s second defeat. The former World Cup participant lost 0-1 (0-0) in Iceland, meaning both opponents are further behind the outsider from the Grand Duchy.
The two best teams in each group qualify for the European Championship finals in Germany (June 14 to July 14, 2024).