Portugal won 10 in 10 Euro 2024 qualifying matches
Portugal’s national men’s football team is celebrating a historic achievement, having qualified for the upcoming Euro 2024 with 10 wins in 10 qualifying matches.
The unprecedented feat was achieved on Sunday night with a 2-0 home win over Iceland at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, with Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Sporting Braga’s Ricardo Horta scoring the decisive goals.
It’s an auspicious start for national manager Roberto Martínez, who replaced Fernando Santos after Portugal’s disappointing quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup.
“Football is a team sport. Individual talent is important and can win a match, but for a historic qualification campaign like this one you need commitment and a strong locker room,” the Spanish manager said after the match.
The historic campaign started in March with a 4-0 home win over Liechtenstein, followed by wins over Luxembourg (0-6), Bosnia and Herzegovina (3-0), Iceland (0-1) and Slovakia (0-1).
The highlight of the campaign happened in the Algarve, where Martínez’s men trampled Luxembourg for a 9-0 win, the biggest ever in the history of the national men’s football team.
Further wins over Slovakia (3-2), Bosnia and Herzegovina (0-5), Liechtenstein (0-2) and yesterday’s victory over Iceland completed the campaign.
All in all, Portugal finished Group J in first place with 30 points, 10 wins in 10 games, 36 goals scored and only two conceded. Slovakia, with 22 points, finished in second place and secured the remaining qualifying spot.
