Insanely good without Ronaldo", "Cancelo was right" - Fans react as Cristiano Ronaldo-less Portugal thrash Sweden.

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Portugal romped to a 5-2 win against Sweden in a friendly on Thursday (March 21) with Cristiano Ronaldo sitting out the thrashing at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques.

Ronaldo, 39, was rested by Roberto Martinez amid an intense schedule for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr. He wasn't given the chance to add to his tally of record 128 goals and 46 assists in 205 caps.

However, Portugal needn't worry about their captain's absence as they dominated Sweden with a stellar performance. They fired a warning to their Euro 2024 rivals ahead of the tournament in Germany this summer.

Selecao das Quinas opened the scoring in the 24th minute through AC Milan forward Rafael Leao. The young attacker reacted to Bernardo Silva's effort deflecting off the post and fired home the opener.

The hosts put together a slick move which led to Manchester City midfielder Matheus Nunes doubling their lead nine minutes later. He raced into Sweden's box before drilling past Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

Portugal were purring and found a third in the 45th minute when Bruno Fernandes inevitably got on the scoresheet. Nelson Semedo found the Manchester United skipper and he tapped home from close range.

Martinez's men toyed with Sweden and grabbed a fourth goal in the 57th minute. Fernandes turned provider, putting it on a plate for Braga winger Bruma who could make no mistake in making it 4-0.

The visitors showed signs of life in the 58th minute when the highly sought-after Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres netted. It was mere consolation though as Portugal were back on the scoresheet three minutes later.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Goncalo Ramos got in on the act with an easy finish thanks to Semedo's fine assist. Cristiano Ronaldo will have been impressed by his nation's frightening frontline but also wary of his place in Martinez's side.

Union SG forward Hakan Nilsson made the scoreline a little less embarrassing for Sweden in the 90th minute. But, the hosts came away with a resounding 5-2 victory, giving fans a glimpse of what to expect from them at Euro 2024.

One fan alluded to Joao Cancelo's comments about his nation not needing to rely on Ronaldo:

Another fan echoed those sentiments although it's worth noting Ronaldo finished second in the Euro 2024 qualifying goalscoring charts (10 goals):

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