City's Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic both misfired in the shootout to put Madrid in the driving seat
Ronaldo nets hat-trick as Portugal rout Luxembourg
A Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick helped Portugal stroll to a 5-0 win over Luxembourg in Group A of World Cup qualifying on Tuesday.
Published : 12 Oct 2021, 09:01 PM
Updated : 12 Oct 2021, 09:01 PM
The victory ensures Portugal remain a point behind leaders Serbia, who moved onto 17 points with a 3-1 home win over Azerbaijan, with a game in hand and superior goal difference.
Portugal had the game all but won within the first 18 minutes.
Ronaldo struck twice from the penalty spot before his Manchester United team mate Bruno Fernandes made it three as he fired in following good work from Bernardo Silva.
Midfielder Joao Palhinha made it four with just over 20 minutes to go, before Ronaldo netted his 10th treble for his country three minutes from time with a header from close range.
Next month Fernando Santos's Portugal side travel to Ireland before then hosting Serbia in what could be a winner-takes-all fixture to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
RELATED STORIES
The defeat caps a disappointing four days for Arteta's team after their Premier League title challenge suffered a blow with their loss to Aston Villa
Atletico bounced back with two goals early in the second half to put Dortmund on the ropes before they dug deep to complete a superb comeback
As Barca tries to find a goal to take the game to extra time, Mbappe scores from close-range and wrap up a semi-final place against Dortmund
