Portugal Achieves Historic Victory Without Cristiano Ronaldo in Competitive Match

In a European Championship qualifying match on Monday, Portugal secured an extraordinary 9-0 triumph against Luxembourg, all while missing Cristiano Ronaldo due to suspension from accumulated yellow cards in prior Group J matches.

In the absence of the five-time world player of the year and the record scorer in men’s internationals, Goncalo Ramos, Goncalo Inacio, and Diogo Jota each netted twice, complemented by goals from Ricardo Horta, Bruno Fernandes, and Joao Felix in the Algarve.

Even though the 38-year-old Ronaldo missed a notable chance to augment his tally of 123 international goals, he will have four more chances in a group where Portugal is commanding the proceedings with an impeccable six-game winning streak. No other team in the qualifying rounds boasts such a pristine record.

Roberto Martinez’s team maintained a five-point lead over Slovakia and extended their lead over Luxembourg to eight points. The top two teams in each group secure automatic qualification.

Ramos, Ronaldo’s stand-in, excelled in his role by netting two of the team’s initial three goals. He had previously proven his mettle in this capacity during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when then-coach Fernando Santos made the bold decision to place Ronaldo on the bench for the round of 16 match against Switzerland.

Ramos responded by scoring a remarkable hat-trick in that game, making a significant mark on the soccer world. Subsequently, he transferred from Benfica to Paris Saint-Germain and maybe the long-term successor to Ronaldo, who currently plays in Saudi Arabia, for Portugal’s national team, which appears poised for Euro 2024.

It’s worth noting that Germany’s 13-0 rout of San Marino in 2006 stands as the largest victory in European Championship qualifying history.

In other matches within the group, Slovakia defeated Liechtenstein 3-0, while Iceland secured a 1-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.