For the second date of group J with a view to qualifying for the euro 2024, Portugal beat Luxembourg 6-0 with a key performance by Cristiano Ronaldowho returned to be the captain of the team since the arrival of Roberto Martínez to the Portuguese bank.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar meant a huge disappointment for the Portuguese squad with Fernando Santos at the helm, who decided to relegate Ronaldo as the tournament progressed. But far from that dramatic moment, the Portuguese footballer returned to the team with the replacement of Martínez as the new coach.
On the second date of qualifying for the next Euro Cup, the former Real Madrid had a fundamental performance for the wide victory of the team. 9 minutes into the first half, he found the ball in front of the goal after a rough play in the rival area and opened the game. With the score one nil, the rest of the goals were not long in coming, and only six minutes later Joao Félix stretched the lead with an accurate header.
The avalanche of goals continued with one of the most outstanding players of the match, Bernardo Silva, who at 18′ hit the ball with his head and crossed it to make it 3-0. Before the end of the first half, at 30′, Cristiano stung fooling the defense and was left alone in front of the goalkeeper and leaning his body a little to the right defined right.
In the add-on, with the balance tipping in their favor, Portugal found the fifth with a good play by Rafael Leao, who threw a rained cross into the area for Otávio Monteiro. Facing the goalkeeper, the Porto midfielder headed the ball into the top left corner. About the end, Leao appeared again to define the match.
Cristiano’s presence on the field again meant a considerable boost of spirits, and the Portuguese national team added 6 points in their first two qualifying games for Euro 2024. Before the first game, Martínez said about CR7 that “is our captainIt’s very important to be able to take advantage of that experience.” The coach also referred to the moral factor that includes the return of the Al Nassr footballer.
“A new cycle with Cristiano Ronaldo makes us better. Everyone is there to add, we have two games in a short time and it’s not a time to start or not, it’s to be involved and make us better,” he explained.
With 14 goals in 12 games that he played in 2023, the Portuguese reached 832 officials, being the top scorer in history in 1,157 games.
