Portugal vs Armenia: Portugal crush rivals 9–1 to seal 2026 World Cup spot

ISLAMABAD: Portugal vs Armenia ended in a one-sided rout in Porto on Sunday, as Portugal stormed into the 2026 World Cup with a dominant 9–1 victory, despite the absence of suspended star Cristiano Ronaldo. The win confirmed Roberto Martinez’s side as Group F leaders and secured qualification on their final attempt.

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and PSG’s João Neves both scored hat-tricks in the Portugal vs Armenia clash, while Renato Veiga, Gonçalo Ramos and Francisco Conceição added to the tally.

After a draw against Hungary and a shock loss to Ireland—where Ronaldo was sent off—Portugal delivered a commanding response. Fernandes said the team wanted a “convincing and controlled” performance, which they achieved with ease.

Portugal dominated from the start, opening the scoring in the seventh minute before Armenia briefly equalised through Eduard Spertsyan. But Portugal quickly regained control: Ramos capitalised on a defensive error, Neves scored twice including a stunning free-kick, and Fernandes added a penalty to make it 5–1 at halftime.

In the second half of Portugal vs Armenia, Fernandes completed his hat-trick with another penalty, Neves sealed his treble, and Conceição struck in stoppage time to finish the rout.

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Coach Martinez praised the team’s “strong response,” while Ronaldo celebrated qualification on social media, writing: “We’re at the World Cup!”

In the other Group F match, Ireland stunned Hungary 3–2, with Troy Parrott scoring a hat-trick to send his side into the play-offs.