October 13, (THEWILL) – Portugal beat Luxembourg 5-0 on Tuesday in their Group A Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier with a hattrick from Cristiano Ronaldo and a man-of-the-match display by Bernardo Silva.
The atmosphere at the Estadio Algarve was upbeat as fans flocked in, waving their national flags and Opus’ ‘Live is life’ blasting from the speakers.
The game started and Portugal were on the front foot from the outset, asserting their dominance with a two-goal lead inside five minutes from two well-taken penalties by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese icon who thrives under the spotlight smashed the first one right in the centre. The second attempt was arrowed into the right corner, but the referee ordered the spot-kick to be retaken because of encroachment. Ronaldo chose the same area once more, and despite the goalkeeper’s best efforts, he was unable to keep it out.
12 minutes later, it was three-nil as Bruno Fernandes buried his chance withoutuch aplomb. The first half ended in this way.
When the five-time Ballon d’Or winner missed two gilt-edged chances for the match ball, the extent of his frustration was etched on his face. When an unbelievable bicycle-kick attempt almost hit the back of the net, it was obvious that his treble was not far away. And when it did arrive, in the 87th minute, he was forced to wait in anticipation while VAR checked for a probable offside.
Fortunately, the goal was allowed with relief written all over Ronaldo’s face as he completed his 10th international hat-trick and scored his 115th goal for his country, extending his record as the scorer of the most international goals in men’s football.
Before this Portugal scored their fourth goal of the night through Pahinha in the 69th minute.
However, with Serbia’s 3-1 win over Azerbaijan, Portugal remains in second place in the group, one point behind the leaders with one game in hand.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
