Portugal waited for Luxembourg in the match that would confirm them as the head of Group J and secure them a comfortable advantage over Slovakia.
The match started with a minute of silence honoring the victims of the earthquake in Morocco.
Portugal started playing in the attack with Bruno Fernandez crossing in the 6th minute but none was there to interfere. Luxembourg responded with a cross in the 7th but none of the players was there to profit from Borghes Sanchez’s cross.
📋TEAM NEWS🔴🦁#RoudeLéiwHuelSe #RoutLéiwen #PORLUX pic.twitter.com/46itYbmPEc
— Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Football (@flf_lu) September 11, 2023
Semedo passes for Ramos in the 11th, but Ramos could not profit from his ball. Portugal was well organized and managed to find the net one minute later.
Bruno Fernandez crosses and Ignacio is in the right place in the first post to score the goal of the advantage for Portugal.
Leao, Danilo, and Dalot were in possession in the 16th minute. They wanted to find spaces in the midfield and also wanted to bring the winger deep in the midfield to create from the back.
More goals coming on…
Goncalo Ramos profits from high pressing and is 1v1 with the keeper Moris in the right bottom corner. Portugal is in double advantage now.
Fernandez sends another ball for Ramos in the 21st, but the striker can’t send the ball to the back of the net. Luxembourg on the other hand had to do something in order to be in the game and at least put the Portuguese team in difficulty.
The home side is in possession and will try to find as many goals as possible to stay ahead of Slovakia with goal difference.
Semedo crossed in the 29th and Jota tried with a bicycle kick, but his shot ended well wide. Bruno Fernandez sends a ball for Semedo, but his shot inside the zone ends wide and for Portugal, this is a glorious chance to find the third goal and at the same time secure the game.
Goncalo Ramos finds the third goal in the 33rd after a cross from Leao and in this point, the game is sealed for Portugal.
Portugal dominated the game…
The game was in the total dominance of Portugal and they continued to keep possession. Diogo Jota found the crossbar in the 36th minute.
Costa had injury problems in the 40th, but he was able to stay on the pitch and contribute to his game for Portugal. Luxembourg needs to change and they must do it quicker in order not to concede and reduce the difference of goals.
Semedo makes another incursion on the right side, but none of the players cannot convert and score. Fernandez had another chance, but his shot went wide in the right post.
Four minutes were added on and Portugal had another chance to score with Semedo who sent the ball right in the hands of Moris.
Goncalo Ignacio had another chance with the header and scored in the last minute of the added time with a header, after the assist from Bruno Fernandez.
The first half ended with a convincing advantage for Portugal, which had another half to play.
Luc Holtz made three subs at the beginning of the second half, Thimothe Rupil came on and Vincent Hill walked off the pitch. Lars Gerson came on for Florian Bonhert and Dick Carlson for Alesio Curci.
Portugal started the attack with Danilo, who passed for Fernandez with Ramos could not send his cross to the back of the net in the 48th.
Portugal had more to do with quick passes in the midfield and Danilo Perreira who had more rhythm and stamina and the difference was obvious. Luxembourg should have tried to attack from the back and try to create to reduce the disadvantage.
Mica Pinto left his place for Vincent Hill to change things in sides for Luxembourg.
Bruno the assistman.
Danilo tried from a wide range in the 56th, but his shot went well wide the target defended by Moris.
Bruno Fernandez assists for Diogo Jota who scored and defeated Moris for the 5th time in this match in the 56th. There was only one team on the pitch and this was Portugal.
Roberto Martinez made three replacements in the 61st. Nelson Semedo left the place for Joao Cancelo, Goncalo Ramos was replaced by Joao Felix and Ricardo Horta was on for Bernardo Silva.
The Portuguese team was interested in scoring more. Mahmutovic received a yellow in the 66th for a foul in the entrance of the zone.
Ricardo Horta scored in the 67th to extend Portugal’s party and send the match into a training session atmosphere.
Luxembourg responded with Vincent Thill in the 70th, who tried to shoot, but the ball ended wide. Ricardo Horta had another chance only one minute later, but his shot was saved by Moris.
Sebastian Thill had a chance to cross from the corner, but his ball was cleared by Danilo in the 73rd.
Martinez consumes all the subs in the 75th, Danilo Perreira goes off for Ruben Neves and Rafael Leao for Otavio.
Portugal after the subs
Jota scores again and it is the personal second in this game. This was so unpleasant for the visitors who had been shadowed and nullified during the whole match.
Luxembourg decided to replace Maxime Chanot with Seid Konac and this sub is going to make things less dangerous in the middle of the defense.
Mahmutvic stops Jota in the 80th minute and this is one of the few episodes that was positive for Luxembourg.
But the nightmare was not over for Luxembourg as Ricardo Horta presented Fernandez with Moris and Bruno scored a deserved goal sending the difference in eight goals.
Portugal intensified their attacks at the end and the ninth was on the way.
Joao Felix makes a horizontal run and with a stunner from the distance scores the ninth goal in the 88th.
Portugal score NINE goals for the first time in history to beat Luxembourg 😳
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 11, 2023
Their largest-ever margin of victory 👏 pic.twitter.com/kAgB04C6UL
It was all closed after three minutes of added time as it resulted in a humiliation for the visitors. They were not present in the positive transitions of Portugal, were so slow in the wings, and at the end conceded in a defense, which was not responsive during the whole match.
