Portugal sealed their place at the 2026 World Cup with a ruthless demolition of Armenia, a performance marked by hat tricks from Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves and a reminder of the squad’s attacking depth even in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal had arrived under pressure after a shock defeat to the Republic of Ireland in their previous outing, a match in which Ronaldo was sent off and left them needing victory on Sunday to avoid a complicated qualification scenario. Any nerves evaporated within minutes. Renato Veiga met a well delivered Fernandes free kick with a decisive header to open the scoring and settle the visitors.
Armenia briefly disrupted the rhythm when Eduard Spertsyan levelled with a neat close range finish in the eighteenth minute. The celebration barely had time to fade before Portugal reasserted control. Goncalo Ramos restored the lead with a composed finish and Neves swept in a third soon after. His second arrived from another set piece as Portugal began to pull away with ease.
Just before half time Ruben Dias was brought down in the box and Fernandes calmly converted the penalty to extend the lead. Armenia trudged into the break already overwhelmed and the second half offered no relief.
Fernandes struck again with a low effort from outside the area and added another penalty after Carlos Forbs was fouled. Neves completed his hat trick with a tidy finish from the centre of the box as the match slipped further from Armenia’s grasp. Francisco Conceicao added the ninth in stoppage time to underline a dominant night for Roberto Martinez’s side.
The qualification outcome offers reassurance for Portugal but comes with a complication. Ronaldo’s dismissal against Ireland means he will miss the first two group matches at the World Cup. The performance in Yerevan suggested the team will cope without him in the short term. Fernandes and Neves were clinical, the midfield controlled the match throughout and the defensive structure rarely appeared troubled after the early equaliser.
Portugal’s campaign has now steadied. They head to next year’s tournament with their confidence restored and their attacking talent firmly on display.
