Portugal thumped Luxembourg 9-0 in their European Championship qualifier on Monday night despite being without captain Cristiano Ronaldo. This victory gives Portugal a five-point cushion at the top of Group J, putting them comfortably on track to qualifying for Euro 2024.
After picking up a second yellow card in consecutive games, Ronaldo was suspended from a match that proved to be a prime opportunity for him to extend his international goalscoring record of 123 goals. Still, this victory served as proof of Portugal’s strong team chemistry, with six different scorers on the night.
“It was perfect because the players had the same attitude from the first to the last minute,” Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez commented after the game. “They remained concentrated not only in attack but to ensure we kept a clean sheet. As a coach, I really liked the attitude of the players, and they have a place in the history of Portuguese football.” So far in qualifying, Portugal has scored 24 goals in six games without conceding a single goal.
