Portugal Crushes Armenia 9-1 and Qualifies for the World Cup Despite Ronaldo's Absence

Bruno Fernandes led the Portugal national team to a historic victory with a score of 9-1 against their guests, the Armenia national team, today, Sunday, in the final round of the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in North America.

Despite the absence of star Cristiano Ronaldo due to suspension, Fernandes shone by scoring a hat-trick, including two penalties, while João Neves added another hat-trick, confirming the new generation of Portuguese talents' ability to dominate in the absence of the historic captain.

The match, held at the "Dragão" Stadium in Porto, saw complete control from Portugal from the first minute, with Renato Veiga scoring the opening goal in the 7th minute, followed by Gonçalo Ramos in the 28th minute, and then goals from Neves, Fernandes, and Conceição, while Eduard Spertsyan scored Armenia's only goal in the 18th minute.

Ronaldo's absence came after his red card in the previous match against Ireland, marking the first time he has been sent off in his international career spanning 226 matches.

With this victory, Portugal raised its tally to the top of Group 6, confirming its qualification for the World Cup finals for the ninth time in its history.