Portugal didn’t need Cristiano Ronaldo to achieve its biggest win in a competitive match.
Monday’s 9-0 win over Luxembourg in a European Championship qualifier was done without Ronaldo, who is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards in the previous Group J match.
Portugal’s previous winning margin record was 8-0, which they achieved three times, twice against Liechtenstein (1994 and 1999) and once against Kuwait (2003).
In the absence of the five-time world player of the year and top men’s international goalscorer, Goncalo Ramos, Goncalo Inacio and Diogo Jota all scored two goals and one goal each was scored by Ricardo Horta, Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix in the Algarve.
The 38-year-old Ronaldo missed a big chance to add to his tally of 123 international goals, but there will be four more opportunities in a group dominated by Portugal with six straight wins.
No other team has achieved as many wins in qualifying.
Roberto Martinez’s team, who have now scored 24 goals and not conceded a single goal, remain five points ahead of Slovakia and eight points ahead of Luxembourg.
The top two teams in each group qualify automatically.
“It was perfect because the players had the same attitude from the first minute to the last minute,” said Martinez after the match as quoted by ESPN.
“They remained concentrated not only in attacking but also making sure 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,” he continued.
“For us, this is the starting point. We have to continue working and improving but the team has continuity. This group deserves to create history. The talent is at the highest level in world football. The attitude has always been good from day one. The win was very important for us. The players on the bench have a clear idea of what they can add to the group. Everyone is ready to help the team.”
Ramos scored two of the team’s first three goals as a substitute for Ronaldo, a role he fulfilled well.
He also did it at last year’s World Cup in Qatar when Ronaldo was substituted for the match against Switzerland in the round of 16.
Ramos scored a hat trick in that match, announcing himself to the world of football.
After the World Cup completed a move from Benfica to Paris Saint-Germain and could be a long-term replacement for Ronaldo, currently playing in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr, for Portugal’s national team which is certain to head to Euro 2024 in Germany next summer.
