Portugal Dominate Armenia 9–1 to Seal World Cup Spot Despite Ronaldo’s Absence
Portugal wrapped up qualification for the 2026 World Cup with an emphatic 9–1 victory over Armenia in Porto, proving they could dominate even without Cristiano Ronaldo, who was serving a suspension after his red card against Ireland.
Renato Veiga headed in the opener after Bruno Fernandes forced a save that hit the post, but Armenia momentarily equalised through Eduard Spertsyan. From there, Portugal overwhelmed them. Goncalo Ramos capitalised on a back-pass error to make it 2–1, and Joao Neves added two quick strikes — one drilled into the corner, the other a perfectly struck free-kick.
Fernandes converted a penalty just before halftime, then curled in another minutes after the restart. A second penalty, won by Carlos Forbs, completed his hat-trick. Neves then claimed his third goal after Nelson Semedo recycled a loose cross. Francisco Conceição’s late finish rounded off the nine-goal performance.
Hungary’s home defeat to Ireland confirmed Portugal as Group F winners by a three-point margin, securing their place at a seventh straight World Cup finals.
