Portugal 3-0 Luxembourg: Three talking points

It was business as usual in the Group B of the European Qualifiers clash, as Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal ran out comfortable 3-0 victors over minnows, Luxembourg.

The hosts began their assault on the Luxembourg goalmouth quite early, as a Ronaldo shot whizzed past Anthony Moris' post as quickly as the 2nd minute. However, it was Bernardo Silva who got the party started, as he put the ball past Moris in the 16th minute.

Portugal continued to dominate proceedings in the first half, but at the interval, it was just the lone goal separating the sides.

In the second half Selecao das Quinas continued to probe the Luxembourg goalmouth, with Ronaldo as the eye of the storm. The Juventus marksman was rewarded for his persistence in the 65th minute, as he delicately chipped Moris for the second goal of the game.

The hosts seldom looked in trouble against Luxembourg, and in the 89th minute, they got the icing on the cake, as Goncalo Guedes thumped the ball past Moris and into the net, albeit helped by a slight deflection.

Portugal remains hot on the trail of group leaders Ukraine and will cherish the opportunity to shave points off Andriy Shevchenko's men when they meet next week.

#3 Portugal too good for Luxembourg

Bernardo Silva (middle) celebrates a goal with his teammates

This was inevitable really, as on paper it was a total mismatch. The prospect of Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, and Bernardo Silva attacking the Luxembourg defence was always a recipe for a domineering performance, and we were served just that.

The Portuguese armada, led by the irrepressible Ronaldo, toyed with the Luxembourg rearguard all night, with the Juventus marksman in particular afforded a couple of gilt-edged chances. The young Joao Felix also got in on the act, however, he was unable to register his first goal for the senior side.

The final stats painted a damning picture for The Red Lions, as Selecao das Quinas had the bulk of possession at 61 per cent. Ronaldo and his teammates also had 22 shots, with 10 on target. Luxembourg, on the other hand, had just 6 shots, with 2 on target.

#2 The spectre of VAR loomed

VAR has been widely implemented this season

All across Europe, the Video Assistant Referee system has been embraced and implemented, however, UEFA has opted not to utilise the system in the current European qualifiers. The system will instead be used in Euro 2020 next summer.

VAR has been instrumental time and again all over Europe this season, as crucial decisions have been made thanks to the system. In this encounter, the importance of VAR was re-enforced on a couple of occasions, as the referee missed some calls that were quite obvious after video replays.

In the 26th minute, a Luxembourg shot was punched away by Rui Patricio, but the referee and his assistants somehow missed it and didn't award a corner. Late on in the game, Cristiano Ronaldo was brought down in the penalty area, and to his consternation, he wasn't awarded a penalty. Video replays proved he was fouled, and it should have been given.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo continues to dazzle in front of goal

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo just can't stop scoring

The irrepressible Cristiano Ronaldo was up to his old tricks once again, as he continually tormented the Luxembourg rearguard, pelting the goal area with shot after shot. He started his onslaught as early as the second minute when his shot from outside the box just missed its mark.

He was eventually rewarded for his persistence in the 65th minute as he pressed a Luxembourg defender into an error before beautifully chipping the ball past Anthony Moris for the second goal of the game.

That was Ronaldo's 699th goal for club and country, a very unique milestone, and the former Real Madrid marksman is showing no signs of slowing down.

Ronaldo also further strengthened his position as Europe's top goal-getter, as he sits atop second-placed Ferenc Puskas with a difference of 10 goals after his strike against the Red Lions. He now has 94 goals in 161 appearances.