For history! The defeat against vulnerable Luxembourg (9-0) is the biggest ever for the Portuguese team, which is still 100% victorious in qualifying for Euro 2024. With today’s victory, Portugal has an eight-point lead over third-placed team in group J (see table at the end of the text), with the first two qualifying matches and four matches to go. This means that Roberto Martínez’s team can guarantee their presence at next year’s European Championship as early as October.
At the Estádio do Algarve, against a very timid opponent, Portugal had the total control and attacking mobility to create a defeat at the pace of Rafael Leão, but left his mark in the match where Gonçalo was the name of the goal . Inácio and Ramos scored twice, as did Diogo Jota. Horta, Bruno Fernandes and João Félix also scored.
Without Cristiano Ronaldo and with Gonçalo Ramos’ starting position announced three days ago, there was still room for more changes in the Portuguese eleven against Luxembourg. Roberto Martínez changed some pieces and also made way for Nelson Semedo (instead of João Cancelo), Gonçalo Inácio (instead of António Silva), Danilo (instead of Palhinha) and Diogo Jota.
And it was one of the surprises that gave Portugal the lead in the twelfth minute. Gonçalo Inácio first threatened (in the 9th minute) and then scored. A beautiful header, which also crowned a brilliant cross from Bruno Fernandes, one of two players who started the six Euro 2024 qualifiers – the other being Rúben Dias (also a total minutes player).
And after Gonçalo Inácio made his debut for the national team, it was the other Gonçalo, Ramos, to shine. Minutes after Leonine’s central defender’s goal, the PSG player from Algarve gave the best follow-up to a transition move from the Portuguese attack. This time the pass came from captain Bernardo Silva and received applause from the coach. Martínez loved attacking mobility and now runs the risk of hearing that everything seems to work better without Ronaldo. Opinions aside, the third goal can serve as an argument for those hoping to prove this theory. Everything was well done, with Rafael Leão taking everything forward and serving Gonçalo Ramos, who with a beautiful technical gesture took out an opponent with a feint in the opposite direction and scored again.
Even without scoring, Leão was the man who brought speed and unbalanced everything on the right side. A minute after serving the PSG player to make it 3-0, the AC Milan striker did the same to Diogo Jota, who saw the crossbar deny him the goal. Portugal played well and Luxembourg allowed everything. The fourth Portuguese goal came just before half-time, when Bruno Fernandes and Gonçalo Inácio made a photocopy of the first goal.
Jota, Horta & Félix limited
The second half would show that there was more hunger for a goal and more names on the scoresheet… complicating the scouts’ mission in search of the man of the match. If Leão continued to give the Luxembourg defense value for money (and draw blanks), Bruno Fernandes opened the book with a fantastic third assist for Diogo Jota… who isolated himself and didn’t even wait to get close to the opponent. goal to shoot and score the fifth goal of the evening.
After 60 minutes the coach changed teams and gave minutes to João Félix and Ricardo Horta. It was also around that time that Leandro Barreiro decided to test Diogo Costa’s attentions, but that was all. Goals only scored in the opponent’s goal. Another nice move from Portugal, with Diogo Jota serving Ricardo Horta for a beautiful first shot! In the 77th minute it became 7-0… by Diogo Jota, who took advantage of a rebound and also scored twice.
The evening became even more memorable when Bruno Fernandes added the goal to his three assists (and captaincy at the end of the match) and João Félix scored the ninth goal to go down in history as the Portuguese team’s biggest ever victory in 667 matches. A historic result for Portugal, whose biggest ever victory was an 8-0 against Liechtenstein (in 1994 and 1999) and Kuwait (2003).
In the six games led by Roberto Martínez, the team won all six, scored 24 goals and conceded no goals. Despite the beautiful game and the defeat, it is necessary to put the triumph in perspective given the vulnerability of the opponent. Coach Luc Holtz left the bench after the eighth goal, in an image that promises to go around the world and that will embarrass him forever, also because he contributed to Portugal’s biggest ever victory.
Source: DN
