Bruno Fernandes played a starring role as Portugal thrashed Luxembourg 9-0 to maintain their perfect record in the Euro 2024 qualification.
Roberto Martinez’s team has now won all six of their qualifying games, without conceding a single goal and scoring 24. This is the country’s largest ever victory.
Portugal leads Group J by five points, five points ahead of Slovakia, which they defeated in Bratislava on Friday. Luxembourg is third in the standings, three points behind Slovakia.
Fernandes, the Manchester United playmaker who scored the game-winning goal against Slovakia, set up three goals as the Selecao filled their boots and scored one.
Goncalo Ramos, Diogo Jota, and Goncalo Inacio all scored twice, and Ricardo Horta and Joao Felix also scored.
Martinez, who took over for Fernando Santos after the Qatar World Cup, has a perfect record at the helm.
“We are still at the beginning of a new era with a new coach and we are still taking on board the coach’s ideas,” said Jota.
“Today we set a reference point match (to look at in) the future.”
Inacio, a Sporting Lisbon defender, put the hosts ahead in the 12th minute with a header with the outside of his foot from Fernandes’ exquisite cross.
Ramos of Paris Saint-Germain scored five minutes later after Fernandes pressed high to win the ball back.
The 22-year-old striker then scored his sixth goal in eight appearances for his country in the 33rd minute with a clever turn and clinical finish.
Portugal dominated at the Algarve stadium near the country’s south coast, with Liverpool striker Jota hitting the crossbar.
On the stroke of halftime, Inacio headed home his second goal from another Fernandes cross, and Jota scored early in the second half, again set up by the Red Devils midfielder.
Portugal thrashed Luxembourg 6-0 in their first meeting in the Grand Duchy, and Horta rifled home from the edge of the box to match the tally.
Jota, who set up Horta, scored the seventh as Portugal continued to press, and Fernandes capped his virtuoso display with the eighth.
That matched their previous best win, an 8-0 victory on three occasions, but substitute Felix struck a superb ninth-minute goal from the edge of the box to set a new record for Portugal.
“We have a great group of players, we take every game very seriously,” said Horta.
“We’re on the right track, but we have things to improve. Against Slovakia we played a game that was not at the level this team (can offer).”
Martinez’s team can qualify for Euro 2024 if they beat Slovakia and Luxembourg loses to Iceland on October 13.
Photo by EPA/RICARDO NASCIMENTO
