Report, result, goals as hosts qualify
A hat-trick from Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves helped Portugal overcome Armenia to confirm their place in the 2026 World Cup as Group F winners in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes converted penalties in both halves and scored from inside the box for the Seleção, who were without captain Cristiano Ronaldo at Porto due to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner being suspended after being sent off in his side’s 2-0 defeat in Ireland on Thursday.
An early equalizer by Eduard Spertsyan briefly made it 1-1, but Armenia finished last in the division with five defeats and one win.
Portugal vs Armenia: The Seleção’s journey to the World Cup
Portugal needed just one point to qualify, but a 2-2 draw at home to Hungary followed by a memorable night in Dublin – including a direct red card for Ronaldo – raised questions about Roberto Martinez’s side and made the end of their campaign more complicated than they would have liked.
Armenia goalkeeper Henry Avagyan brilliantly blocked Bruno Fernandes’ shot against the post to score the first goal, and the rebound fell for Renato Vega to head home with seven minutes to go.
Visiting coach Ejeshi Melekwane said he wanted to see his side more combative than they showed in the 5-0 defeat at home to Portugal earlier in the group stage, and the minnows equalized with a brilliant goal 11 minutes later, with Grant Leon Ranos showing his speed and skill to advance down the right flank before sending a cross home for Edouard Spetsyan.
Artur Seropian – a newcomer to the visitors’ line-up – then sold Avagyan with a back pass, allowing Goncalo Ramos to collect the ball, beat the goalkeeper and slot in in the 28th minute of play.
Joao Neves opened his account for the evening with a beautiful finish after 90 seconds, meeting Bruno Fernandes’ pass on the edge of the penalty area to fire a low shot past Avagyan and complete a complex team move.
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder then curled a stunning free-kick from distance, which hit the crossbar on its way to ending any hopes Armenia had of a comeback.
Bruno Fernandes scored his hat-trick with the next three goals during stoppage time in the first half and in the 51st and 72nd minutes, while Joao Neves scored his third goal nine minutes before the end of the match, and Francisco Conceicao added the ninth goal for Portugal from outside the penalty area in the 92nd minute.
Portugal national team vs Armenia
Goncalo Ramos, Nelson Semedo, Renato Vega, Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leao were the new faces of Portugal.
Portugal Starting eleven: Diogo Costa, Nelson Semedo, Ruben Dias, Renato Vega, Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, Joao Neves, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Rafael Leao, Goncalo Ramos.
Portugal Alternatives: Antonio Silva, Diogo Dalot, Joao Baleña, Carlos Forbes, Joao Felix, Jose Sa, Goncalo Inacio, Trincao, Mateus Nunes, Francisco Conceicao, Ruben Neves, Rui Silva.
Armenia national team against Portugal
Striker Seropian and midfielder Narek Aghasaryan replaced Armenia, which has now lost its last four international matches but scored its first goal in this round.
Armenia starting lineup: Henry Avagyan, Eric Beloyan, Sergey Muradyan, Styopa Mkrtchyan, Nair Teknizyan, Narek Aghasaryan, Karen Muradyan, Edward Spertsyan, Kamo Hovhannisyan, Grant Leon Ranos, Artur Seropian
Armenia Alternatives: Ognen Kankarevich, Georgi Harutyunyan, Karen Nalbandyan, Edgar Sivikyan, Zuhair Chagoyan, Narek Grigoryan, Arsen Beglarian, Gur Manvelyan, Arayik Eloyan, Edgar Grigoryan, Gevorg Tarakhshyan, Artem Bandikyan
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When will the 2026 World Cup finals draw be held?
The World Cup Finals draw will take place on December 5, 2025 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the ceremony will begin at 17:00 GMT (12:00 ET / 09:00 PT).
The tournament will be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
2026 World Cup qualifiers dates
The top team from each of the 12 European qualifying groups automatically qualifies for the finals, which will be expanded to 48 teams.
The 12 runners-up in each group will join four UN League teams in two-legged play-off ties, which will be drawn from the pots based on the teams’ records during the campaign and will be played on 26 and 31 March 2026.
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2025-11-16 17:58:00
