Portugal Crushes Opposition Again as Cristiano Ronaldo Watches from Sidelines, Proving They're Unstoppable Even Without Their Superstar
What links Portugal's two biggest wins in their history? Cristiano Ronaldo was suspended for both matches.
Following a 9–0 demolition of Luxembourg two years ago, Portugal secured their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday with a commanding 9–1 victory over Armenia, again without Ronaldo due to suspension.
Roberto Martínez's team only required three points to secure their passage to North America for next summer's competition, yet they delivered a crushing performance against FIFA's 104th-ranked side.
Portugal, who will head to the 2026 World Cup in pursuit of their first-ever title, took the lead within seven minutes through Renato Veiga, though Armenia temporarily equalized via Eduard Spertsyan in the 18th minute.
The scoring spree began just before the 30-minute mark when Gonçalo Ramos put Portugal back in front, followed by hat-tricks from João Neves and Bruno Fernandes. Francisco Conceição capped off the rout with a stoppage-time goal as Portugal reached nine goals for just the second time in their nation's history.
Portugal bounced back impressively from their surprising 2–0 loss to the Republic of Ireland to guarantee their participation in December's World Cup group stage draw.
The previous occasion Portugal suffered a home defeat in a competitive fixture without Ronaldo dates back to 2014, when an Albania side led by captain Nani under manager Paulo Bento fell to defeat.
No Ronaldo, No Problem
During the last five years, Ronaldo has been absent from only two competitive international fixtures on Portuguese soil. Portugal have claimed victory in both encounters while netting nine goals in each contest.
The five-time Ballon d'Or recipient missed Portugal's 9–0 thrashing of Luxembourg in September 2023 and his careless red card against Ireland in the previous match meant he was unavailable for Sunday's crucial qualifier.
Following a VAR examination at the Aviva Stadium, referee Glenn Nyberg escalated Ronaldo's penalty to a red card after his elbow contact with Dara O'Shea, representing the first ejection of the veteran's senior international tenure across his 226th cap.
International football's all-time leading scorer might also be ruled out for the first two World Cup group matches if his ban is extended to three games by FIFA's disciplinary panel for violent behavior.
Nevertheless, Portugal may not be overly concerned about starting the tournament without Ronaldo considering they have netted 24 goals across the last six fixtures he's been absent from.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Seven-Word Response to Record World Cup Qualification
Ronaldo departed Portugal's training camp early once it became clear he wouldn't feature against Armenia, but he was monitoring proceedings from a distance. Moments after the final whistle, the 40-year-old posted on social media: "We're in the World Cup! Let's go Portugal!"
This marks Ronaldo's sixth World Cup appearance. No other male player in tournament history has ever participated in six different editions of the competition, though this is the milestone that both Ronaldo and his longtime adversary Lionel Messi are approaching this summer, assuming Martínez chooses to retain the veteran, naturally.