Portugal thrashed Luxembourg 9-0.

Against a weak Luxembourg side, Portugal, without Ronaldo, secured a 9-0 victory in Group J of the Euro 2024 qualifiers thanks to the brilliance of Goncalo Ramos.

The Portuguese national team secured a surprising victory against Luxembourg. (Source: Sportskeeda)

On the morning of September 12th, in their home match against Luxembourg in Group J of the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Portugal were without their captain Ronaldo due to suspension. Goncalos Ramos played as the central striker, while Raphael Leao, Diogo Jota, and Bernardo Silva played behind him.

Against their opponent ranked 89th in the world , Portugal quickly dominated, and Luxembourg only managed to hold out for the first 10 minutes. In the 12th minute, Goncalo Inacio rose high to head in the opening goal from a pass by Bruno Fernandes.

Portugal played brilliantly, forcing their opponents to make repeated defensive errors at the Do Algarve stadium. Five minutes after the opening goal, Portugal doubled their lead thanks to a goal from Goncalo Ramos.

In the remaining time of the first half, Seleccao scored two more goals, both courtesy of Inacio and Ramos, ending the first 45 minutes with a 4-0 lead for the South European side.

In the second half, Portugal continued their relentless attack, preventing Luxembourg from getting the ball forward. In the 57th minute, Diogo Jota broke the offside trap, raced down the wing, and neatly finished to make the score 5-0.

Luxembourg almost gave up and offered no resistance in defense. From the 67th to the 88th minute, Portugal scored four more goals, courtesy of Ricardo Horta, Jota, Bruno Fernandes, and Joao Felix.

In the end, coach Martinez's team won convincingly against Luxembourg 9-0. This resounding victory helps Roberto Martinez's team continue to lead Group J with 18 points after 6 matches, scoring 24 goals and conceding none.

In the qualifying round this coming October, Portugal will secure their place at Euro 2024 if they beat second-placed Slovakia at home in the Do Dragao stadium (October 14th) in their next match, while Luxembourg fails to win against Iceland. According to UEFA regulations, the top two teams in each qualifying group will qualify for Euro 2024.