Ronaldo was silent on the day Portugal won big

Portugal Captain Cristiano Ronaldo did not score, but thanks to Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes, Portugal still defeated Bosnia & Herzegovina 3-0 in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

*Goals: Bernardo Silva 44', Fernandes 77' & 90'+3.

Ronaldo played the entire match at home at Da Luz on June 17. But the Al Nassr striker did not perform as well as he did in the 6-0 win over Luxembourg and 4-0 win over Liechtenstein. His biggest highlight came in the 23rd minute, when he headed into the net against Bosnia & Herzegovina. However, the referee flagged an offside and did not recognize CR7's shot.

Ronaldo (right) remained silent in front of the Bosnia & Herzegovina defense in the match on the evening of June 17. Photo: EPA — Ronaldo (right) remained silent in front of the Bosnia & Herzegovina defense during the match at Da Luz Stadium, Lisbon on June 17. Photo: *EPA*

Facing Bosnia & Herzegovina's defensive counter-attacking style, Portugal encountered many difficulties. At the end of the first half, the away team almost opened the score. During a counter-attack, Edin Dzeko escaped but could not beat goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

With one minute left in the first half, Portugal finally found a way into the Bosnia & Herzegovina goal. Bernardo Silva collected a pass from Bruno Fernandes and finished simply past the onrushing goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic.

With the lead, Portugal continued to take the initiative after the break. The ball was almost exclusively on Bosnia's half. However, the home team still had difficulty approaching goalkeeper Sehic's goal. It was not until the 77th minute that they scored their second goal. Substitute Ruben Neves crossed for Fernandes to head past Sehic.

With the difference in skill level and advantage on the pitch, Portugal continued to put pressure. In the third minute of injury time, Fernandes completed his double, thanks to a volley into the top right corner of the goal, sealing a 3-0 victory.

Bruno Fernandes celebrates scoring the 3-0 goal at the end of the match. Photo: LUSA — Fernandes celebrates scoring the 3-0 goal at the end of the match. Photo: *LUSA*

Portugal have won all three of their opening games, scoring 13 goals and conceding none, to top Group J of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. They have already beaten Luxembourg 6-0 and Liechtenstein 4-0 in their previous two games. They are now two points clear of second-placed Slovakia and five points clear of third-placed Luxembourg. Ronaldo and his teammates will play their final first-leg match away to Iceland on June 20.

The top two teams in each Euro qualifying group will advance to the finals. With the current gap, Portugal are fully capable of qualifying without playing all 10 matches.

Thanh Quy

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