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Luxembourg manager Luc Holtz abandoned his players while Portugal obliterated them in Monday’s Euro 2024 qualifier. The boss was spotted walking down the tunnel mid-game as Roberto Martinez’s side cruised to a breathtaking 9-0 victory at the Estadio Algarve in Faro.
At the start of the night, Portugal were cruising at the top of Group J, having won all five of their qualifiers.
But Luxembourg were enjoying a promising campaign, level on points with second-place Slovakia as they attempt to qualify for the first major tournament in their history.
It was a humiliating case of men against boys when the two sides met on Monday, though, as Martinez’s elite roster of star power ran riot.
Portugal led 4-0 at half-time through braces from Goncalo Inacio and Goncalo Ramos, with Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes providing two assists. Rafael Leao and Bernardo Silva created the others.
Fernandes made it a hat-trick of assists by expertly playing Liverpool forward Diogo Jota through on goal before the hour-mark.
Ricardo Horta made it six before Jota added his second and Portugal’s seventh after 77 minutes. Fernandes then produced a goal of his own six minutes later.
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By that point, Holtz had seen enough. Cameras spotted the 54-year-old storming down the tunnel in disgust at his side’s dismantling.
And matters didn’t improve while he was absent, as Joao Felix profited from a Ruben Neves ball to make it 9-0 in the dying embers.
It leaves the Euro 2016 winners on the verge of stamping their ticket to next summer’s tournament in Germany.
Portugal produced the relentless massacre without the help of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was serving a one-match suspension after receiving his third yellow card of the campaign against Slovakia last time out.
Martinez was understandably delighted with the professional manner of Portugal’s performance against Luxembourg and is eyeing an unbeaten qualifying run.
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“For me, it was a continuation of the work that began on Monday. We had to improve after the game with Slovakia, as we had more time with the players,” Martinez explained after full-time.
“Today, I was pleased that when the score was 4-0 or 5-0, the team continued to play the same way as when the score was 0-0. This shows the values of the players and that respect for the team is important.
“We know that remaining undefeated is always difficult, but it is achievable. When you see the work in training and the dedication of the players, I am very pleased with their attitude.
“We can expect similar results because the quality of the players, as everyone knows, is at the highest level.”
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