Luxembourg suffers fourth defeat
Luxembourg was defeated 5-0 away from home by Portugal as Cristiano Ronaldo scored another hat-trick on the international stage.
The visiting side conceded a penalty in the 8th minute. Bernardo Silva was brought down in the penalty area. As a result, a penalty was awarded. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and buried the ball in the back of the net.
Five minutes later, Luxembourg conceded yet another penalty as this time Cristiano Ronaldo was brought down by the goalkeeper. Portugal no,7 did not make any mistake in doubling the lead. Bruno Fernandes piled up on the visiting side’s misery. As he added his side’s lead to three goals in the 17th minute. Bruno slashed the ball across to the far post after feeding off Bernardo Silva through the ball.
The home side’s defense weeded out any chance of counterattack by the visiting side. Ruben Dias and Pepe were imperious on the night for Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick
Cristiano Ronaldo could have scored a stunning third goal in the 65th minute. The legendary striker controlled a piercing cross from the right-hand side with a deft touch. The ball sent into the air in a controlled manner was then met with an acrobatic effort on goal. The shot was on target but was placed too central, making the keeper’s job easy.
Joao Palhinha added a fourth goal for Portugal. The Sporting CP midfielder scored after heading from a corner. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo was not to be denied his hat-trick. The Manchester United striker completed his hat-trick with an easy header in the near post.
Portugal with this win is placed second in the table, one point behind Serbia. However, they have a game in hand in the qualifiers. Meanwhile, Luxembourg is in third place after suffering its fourth defeat of the qualifying campaign.
115 international goals
Cristiano Ronaldo now has scored 115 career international goals. He previously broke Iranian forward Ali Daei’s record during the last international break. The hattrick was Ronaldo’s 58th of his career.
