Lisbon (AFP) – Nani scored a brace as European champions Portugal warmed up for the start of their World Cup qualifying campaign by thumping minnows Gibraltar 5-0 in Porto on Thursday.
In the absence of the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani took centre stage, opening the scoring on 27 minutes and adding a second 10 minutes into the second half.
But it wasn’t until the final 20 minutes that Gibraltar crumbled as Joao Cancelo (73), Bernardo Silva (76) and Pepe (78) added their names to the scoresheet.
Fernando Santos’s men start their qualifying campaign on Tuesday away to Switzerland, while Gibraltar host Greece the same day.
Santos will have to do without Ronaldo, though, the star striker still recovering from the knee injury that ended his participation in July’s Euro final against France in the first half.
