Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t hide his regret when his chance for a hat trick was ruined.
Portugal defeated Luxembourg 6-0 in the second leg of Group J of the European Football Federation (UEFA) Euro 2024 qualifier held at Stade de Luxembourg in Luxembourg at 3:45 am (Korean time) on the 27th. This put Portugal at the top of the group with two wins (+10 goal difference).
Portugal used a 3-4-3 formation. João Felix, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva formed the top three. Bruno Fernandes and João Palinha took over the midfield, with wingbacks Nuno Mendes and Diogo Dalot. Danilo Pereira, Ruben Dias and Antonio Silva formed the back three, with Rui Patricio donning the goalkeeper’s gloves.
Ronaldo did a great job. First, in the ninth minute of the first half, Bruno crossed in front of the penalty box and Mendes gave up a header pass. Ronaldo, who was at the door, pushed it lightly. He scored the team’s first goal.
Following the momentum, he even reported multiple goals. In the 31st minute when they were leading 3-0, Portugal’s forward pressure was successful. Ronaldo, who received Bruno’s penetrating pass, shook the net with a calm finishing shot in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper.
Ronaldo subsequently aimed for a hat-trick. In the 45th minute of the first half, a shot from outside the penalty box hit the defender and went off the goal line.
Even in the second half, he moved actively and focused on scoring. However, the early replacement swallowed the regret. In the 20th minute of the second half, Portuguese coach Roberto Martinez replaced Ronaldo and Silva with Gonzalo Hamus and Ruben Neves.
At this time, Ronaldo was embarrassed and questioned his substitution out. After one stare at his bench, he slowly removed the captain’s armband and gave it to another player. And he trudged out of the ground. At a glance, a deep regret was buried.
After Ronaldo came out, Portugal won 6-0 thanks to Otabiu in the 32nd minute of the second half and Rafael Leang in the 43rd minute of the second half.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo completed his 198th A-match match and scored his 122nd goal. The previous match against Liechtenstein set the record for the most appearances in A matches, and continues to break his record for most goals. 메이저사이트