Portugal humiliated Armenia (9-1) this Sunday at theEstádio do Dragãoand this great success owes a lot to the Parisians, who were exceptional from start to finish. Without Nuno Mendes, still out and replaced in the left lane by Cancelo, the Seleção was able to count on a dazzling Ramos–Neves–Vitinha trio. The three PSG players carried the national team, in a match where Portugal quickly took control before taking place in an electric atmosphere.
The meeting, however, began with a small warning. After Renato Veiga opened the score quickly with a header in the 7th minute, Armenia equalized in the 18th thanks to Eduard Spertsyan, briefly cooling the Dragão. But it was from there that the Parisians caught fire. Established to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, suspended after his elbow against Ireland, Gonçalo Ramos perfectly assumed this significant responsibility. Opportunistic, he intercepted a bad back pass from an opposing player and then scored from the left (2-1, 28th), before even offering himself an assist for Bruno Fernandes after returning from the locker room (6-1, 52nd).
João Neves walked on water
In the heart of the game, Vitinha and João Neves controlled the encounter with impressive maturity. The first reigned over the tempo, multiplying forward projections and clean transmissions between the lines, often finding Bruno Fernandes. Vitinha even almost scored his first goal for the selection in the 65th minute. But the light came from João Neves, author of a monumental match. The 21-year-old midfielder first scored his very first goal for the selection with a half-volley strike (3-1, 30th), before signing a sublime free kick which went around the wall and hit the bar before going in (4-1, 41st). Then he did it again at the end of the match with a third goal full of composure in the 81st, to seal a resounding hat-trick.
This individual recital was added to that of Bruno Fernandes, also author of a hat-trick, including two perfectly converted penalties (5-1, 45+2nd then 7-1, 72nd). The offensive festival continued in added time with the ninth goal, signed Conceição (9-1, 90+2nd). Dominant in all sectors, the Portuguese delivered one of their most accomplished performances under Roberto Martínez, who had precisely mentioned the situation of Gonçalo Ramos the day before at a press conference: “Gonçalo is a very important striker for us. He has the best minutes/goal ratio in European competitions. I can’t reveal the lineup, but he will be an important player.”. The response from the 24-year-old Parisian was very clear.
With this monumental success, Portugal finished first in Group F with 13 points and officially validated its ticket for the 2026 World Cup. And this meeting confirmed a major trend: PSG players are becoming natural executives of the Seleção. Mendes, once back from injury, will regain his place in the eleven, while Ramos, Vitinha and Neves all scored huge points in a fierce competition with Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Neves, Palhinha and Matheus Nunes. This Sunday, Portugal won much more than a match: they perhaps found the backbone of a midfielder and an attack for years to come.
