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Bruno Fernandes led his nation to World Cup qualification with a 9-1 thrashing over Armenia as Cristiano Ronaldo missed out.

The Manchester United midfielder returned after serving a suspension in Portugal's 2-0 defeat to Ireland which he missed due to an accumulation of yellow cards, earlier in the week. Ronaldo, who did feature in that match, was sent off in the 61st minute after VAR ruled he had elbowed defender Dara O'Shea off the ball.

The Portugal captain was absent from Sunday's final qualifier against Armenia at the Estadio do Dragao, but his teammates had no trouble as Fernandes stepped up to lead the way.

The United skipper scored a hat-trick alongside Paris Saint-Germain's Joao Neves. Fernandes converted penalties in both halves and completed his treble i

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