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Perfect Portugal demolish Luxembourg 9-0 in Euro 2024 qualifier

Akhil Fisher
Portugal were on fire in the Algarve
Portugal were on fire in the AlgarveAFP
Bruno Fernandes (29) led Portugal to a magnificent 9-0 conquest of Luxembourg in the 2024 European Championship Qualifiers, a result which extends the Selecao’s streak to 10 home victories over their opponent without reply.

Hoping the suspension of Cristiano Ronaldo, who registered a brace in the reverse fixture, would prove to be a good omen amid their three-match winning streak, Luxembourg held strong until Bruno Fernandes took hold of proceedings.

Luc Holtz’s men were undone when the midfielder sent a terrific trivela cross towards Goncalo Inacio, who rose high to head in the first before Goncalo Ramos made the most of a defensive mishap by burying a low drive soon after.

Trailing by two goals inside the opening 20 minutes set the tone for the visitors, who were themselves no strangers to defying the odds.

June’s 2-0 win in Bosnia-Herzegovina might have ended a sequence of 16 Euro qualifiers winless away matches, but Portugal proved to be a different animal, with yet another six-goal drubbing in the works when Ramos tripled their lead.

A wonderful sprint and assist by Rafael Leao allowed the ex-Benfica striker to control the ball effortlessly before unleashing a strike through Anthony Morris’ legs.

Portugal players celebrate one of many goals
Portugal players celebrate one of many goalsAFP

Luxembourg were then left shattered on the brink of half-time when Fernandes once again fed Inacio for a header to make it 4-0 in favour of the hosts.

While the Red Lions went out in search of at least a consolation following the break, things got even worse on the hour mark.

In fantastic fashion, Fernandes engineered a splendid over-the-top assist for Diogo Jota, who broke through the visiting backline and caught Morris off his line with a well-executed finish.

Jota then turned provider for substitute Ricardo Horta’s brilliant first-time effort from the edge of the box, before taking the responsibility to net Portugal’s seventh with a cracking finish following a displaced pass.

Key match stats
Key match statsFlashscore

Taking it up two notches from their 6-0 drubbing of the visitors back in March, Portugal eventually forced visiting manager Holtz to take a walk back to the dressing room six minutes before full-time when they struck an emphatic eighth of the evening.

This time, it was Fernandes who got on the scoresheet with a calm finish after receiving the ball from Horta.

However, the best finish of the evening was saved until last as Joao Felix executed a brilliant solo effort to cap Portugal’s sixth unbeaten Euro qualifier on the trot in style and bring the visitors back from elation after ending their three-match unbeaten streak.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)

See all the match stats here.

Other Euro 2024 qualifying matches

Slovakia captain Milan Skriniar
Slovakia captain Milan SkriniarAFP

In the other Group J matches, Slovakia defeated little Liechtenstein 3-0 to remain very much in the hunt for qualification while Iceland defeated Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-0.

Top three in Group J
Top three in Group JFlashscore

Elsewhere, in Group D, Croatia defeated Armenia 1-0 in Yerevan in the early fixture to go top of the standings.

Later, Wales beat Latvia 2-0 to breathe some life into their qualifying campaign.

Group D standings
Group D standingsFlashscore

See the full group standings here.