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Portugal crushed Armenia 9–1 in Porto, securing a 2026 World Cup spot without Cristiano Ronaldo. Hat-tricks from Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves led the rout.
Hat-tricks from Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves headlined a ruthless performance (AFP)
Portugal booked their ticket to the 2026 World Cup in outrageous style on Sunday, destroying Armenia 9–1 in Porto — and they did it without their suspended captain Cristiano Ronaldo.
After Thursday’s shock 2–0 defeat to Ireland, where Ronaldo was sent off, Roberto Martinez’s side needed a response. They delivered a demolition.
Hat-tricks from Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves headlined a ruthless performance that secured top spot in Group F and confirmed Portugal’s seventh straight World Cup appearance.
Renato Veiga opened the scoring early before Armenia stunned the hosts with a rare equaliser — their first goal in four games — through Eduard Spertsyan. That was the only scare Portugal allowed.
From there, it turned into a goal parade:
Gonçalo Ramos pounced on a back-pass to restore the lead.
- Neves smashed one from the edge of the box, then curled in a sensational free-kick for his second.
- Fernandes buried a penalty in stoppage time to make it 5–1 at halftime.
- After the break, Fernandes added two more — the first from open play, the second from the spot — completing his hat-trick.
- Neves followed with his third, and Francisco Conceição rounded off the rout in injury time.
“We always want to win convincingly,” Fernandes said. “Tonight we were effective and got a great victory.”
Neves was equally delighted: “The most important thing was qualification. I’m happy to score my first, second and third goals for Portugal.”
Armenia manager Yegishe Melikyan admitted his side were outmatched: “We’re not ready to play teams as powerful as Portugal. The mistakes broke us mentally.”
Ireland finished second in the group after a dramatic 3–2 win over Hungary, securing a playoff spot thanks to another Troy Parrott hat-trick.
Ronaldo, watching from afar, celebrated on social media: “We’re at the World Cup! Let’s go, Portugal!”
FIFA will decide whether his red card warrants further suspension, which could impact the start of his potential record sixth World Cup next summer.
(with agency inputs)
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
November 16, 2025, 23:05 IST
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