Portugal Dominates Luxembourg with 6-0 Victory in Euro 2024 Qualifiers

The celebration of Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates in the match between Luxembourg and Portugal, Euro 2024 Qualifiers. (c) AP Photo/Olivier Matthys

Portugal Dominates Luxembourg with 6-0 Victory in Euro 2024 Qualifiers

Portugal showed no mercy as they thrashed Luxembourg 6-0 in a Group J Euro 2024 Qualification match on Monday (27/3/2023). Playing at the Stade de Luxembourg, the game was one-sided with Portugal dominating the entire match. Cristiano Ronaldo (9', 31'), Joao Felix (15'), Bernardo Silva (18'), Otavio (77'), and Rafael Leao (88') all scored to contribute to the six-goal spectacle. Luxembourg hardly put up a fight, and Portugal continued their unbeaten run in the qualification stage, maintaining their perfect record with two wins from two games. Read on for a detailed match report.

In the first half

In the Luksemburg vs Portugal Euro 2024 Qualifiers match, Cristiano Ronaldo was closely marked by the opposition players, as captured in this photo by AP Photo/Olivier Matthys

In the first half, Portugal started strong and dominated the game right from the kick-off. Luxembourg was on the back foot and forced to defend. In the ninth minute, Portugal took the lead when Bruno's header was deflected towards Ronaldo, who slotted the ball into the back of the net. Portugal doubled their lead in the 15th minute when Bernardo Silva was left unmarked on the right side and delivered a perfect cross to Joao Felix, who headed home with ease. Portugal extended their lead to 3-0 in the 18th minute with a well-placed header from Bernardo Silva off a cross from Palhinha. In the 31st minute, Portugal added a fourth when Ronaldo capitalized on a defensive error from Luxembourg to score his second goal of the game.

The second half 

The players engage in a duel during the Luksemburg vs Portugal match in the Euro 2024 Qualifiers (c) AP Photo/Olivier Matthys

The second half started with Portugal continuing to dominate proceedings. Although they did not attack with the same intensity, they still kept Luxembourg under pressure. In the 60th minute, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez made some changes, substituting Ronaldo and Silva. However, Portugal's dominance continued. Luxembourg barely had a chance to get back into the game, and they only managed one shot on target. In the 77th minute, Portugal scored their fifth goal when Otavio headed in a perfect cross from Leao. The scoring was capped off by Rafael Leao in the 88th minute when he slotted home a pass from Ruben Neves to give Portugal a resounding 6-0 win.

 

Line-ups:

Luxembourg (4-4-2): Anthony Moris; Laurent Jans, Marvin Martins (46' Florian Bohnert), Maxime Chanot, Michael Pinto; Danel Sinani (46' Mathias Olesen), Christopher Martins (82' Sebastien Thill), Lars Gerson (46' Dirk Carlson), Leandro Barreiro Martins; Vincent Thill (70' Yvandro Borges Sanches), Gerson Rodrigues.

Coach: Luc Holtz

 

Portugal (3-5-2): Rui Patricio; Danilo Pereira, Ruben Dias, Antonio Silva; Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes (75' Rafael Leao), Joao Palhinha (86' Diogo Jota), Bernardo Silva (64' Ruben Neves), Nuno Mendes; Joao Felix (75' Otavio), Cristiano Ronaldo (64' Goncalo Ramos).

Coach: Roberto Martinez