Cristiano Ronaldo might be a little disappointed! On that day, looking at the yellow card, he would have definitely written his name in the goal-scoring charts today. Ronaldo had an impressive record against Luxembourg. In the 11 matches against this team, he scored 11 goals. In the latest match as well, he scored a brace. But he couldn’t play in the next two matches due to yellow card suspensions.
However, despite Ronaldo’s absence, Luxembourg couldn’t put up much of a fight against Portugal. Ramos and Joao combined to score 9 goals against them. Ramos, Joao, and Inacio scored 2 goals each, while Record holder Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix scored 1 goal each. Fernandes also managed a hat-trick of assists in this game.
Luxembourg, despite repeated failures against Ronaldo, may have breathed a sigh of relief this time. Who knows, they might have thought that Portugal without Ronaldo would not be as strong. However, that assumption was proven wrong within 17 minutes of Portugal’s time. Inacio and Ramos scored with headers, putting Portugal ahead. Within 33 minutes, Ramos completed his second and third goals with fantastic finishes. His second goal, assisted by Raphael Leao, was a particularly brilliant finish. Just before halftime, Ramos scored his fourth goal to make it 4-0 with a repeat of his first goal. Fernandes also contributed with a hat-trick of assists.
Portugal took 57 minutes to extend their lead to 5-0. Joao scored with a beautiful finish from a team play. Horvath added another goal 10 minutes later. Joao’s one-touch finish from Fernandes’ cross made it 6-0. In the dying minutes of the game, Joao scored his second and the team’s seventh goal. Fernandez, with 3 assists, had a great game. With this victory, Portugal remained undefeated in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Portugal has now dominated their opponents in the net, netting 24 times while conceding none. Their next match against Slovakia will be crucial to secure a ticket to Euro 2024. They need to win against Slovakia and hope that Luxembourg doesn’t defeat Iceland. However, even if this equation doesn’t work out, there’s little to worry about. Portugal is in great form, and securing a ticket to Euro 2024 is only a matter of time.
At the end of this match, Portugal’s coach Rui Jorge said, “Goncalo Ramos and Diego Joao have shown what they can do. We need players like them who can win matches. This team is special. There is no need to compare them with others. Cristiano is important, but we are ready to win without him.”
So, Portugal’s future looks bright, and they are poised to secure a spot in Euro 2024 with their current form.
