Crushed Luxembourg in the Euro 2024 qualifiers on September 11, despite the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo owing to suspension.

Ronaldo drew his third yellow card since the start of Euro 2024 qualification in the previous round. He’d racked up enough cards that he’d have to skip a match.Coach Roberto Martinez used Goncalo Ramos at the center position without Ronaldo.Nelson Semedo, Goncalo Inacio, Danilo, and Diogo Jota were also new starters in the 1-0 win over Slovakia on September 8.

Portugal quickly placed pressure on Luxembourg’s goal, and midfielder Goncalo Inacio scored in the 12th minute.Inacio headed the ball past goalie Anthony Moris after Bruno Fernandes’ trivela cross.This is the 22-year-old’s first goal for the national squad after three appearances.

Six minutes later, the ball traveled through the foot of Fernandes and Bernardo Silva before being handed to Goncalo Ramos.With space on his side, the PSG attacker turned and finished precisely to double the lead.Ramos scored for Portugal for the first time since a hat-trick against Switzerland in the 2022 World Cup.

Luxembourg nearly blew the game open after two early goals.The away team had 38% of the possession and faced 21 shots.Portugal scored its third goal in the 34th minute.Ramos removed a Luxembourg player and accomplished his personal double after Rafael Leao’s run and wing cross.

The home team then raised the score to 4-0 in the fourth minute of injury time in the first half.Fernandes duplicated the first goal by crossing for Inacio to head past goalie Moris. The goal also marked the conclusion of the finest first half in coach Roberto Martinez’s tenure.

Portugal slowed down after the interval, but they still played well.Diogo Jota sprinted down to face Moris in the 59th minute following a long feed from Fernandes and made it 5-0.

Luxembourg got its first and only attempt on goal around an hour after the game began.Leandro Barreiro, on the other hand, was unable to beat goalie Diogo Costa.Meanwhile, Portugal only needed seven minutes to make the score 6-0.After entering the field, substitute Ricardo Horta scored with his first shot.

Jota earned a personal hat trick in the 77th minute by scoring in the Luxembourg penalty area.Fernandes got his name on the scoreboard in the 83rd minute after three assists from Inacio and Jota. Substitute striker Joao Felix sealed the victory for the home team in the 88th minute with a shot from outside the penalty area.

This is Portugal’s largest victory since the start of Euro 2024 qualification. Coach Martinez’s side has scored 24 goals and has not surrendered a single goal in six games.As a result, they are on the verge of qualifying for Euro 2024. Portugal now leads Group J with 18 points, five ahead of second-place Slovakia and eight ahead of third-place Luxembourg.If they beat Slovakia on October 13, Ronaldo and his teammates will be able to get tickets three games earlier.