Serbia have completely shocked Portugalin theGroup A Matchday 8 at theEstadio Da Luz in Lisbon, silencing the thousands of spectators in the stadium, after they managed to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup thanks toAleksandar Mitrovic’s late strikein the 90th minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo was maximally neutralized by the Serbian players on Sunday’s game, which ended with the most undesirable epilogue for the home team. The Serbs conceded an early goal in the second minute and seemed to have a difficult mountain to climb, but in the end, they made a sensational turnaround.
TheEagles, led by Dragan Stojkovic, cruised pastout the favorites on their home pitch, in a direct duel for the first place, and in the most dramatic way possible.Thanks to the 2-1 victory, Serbia have automatically qualified for the World Cup in Qatar, while Portugal will be one of the teams fighting to earn their spot via the UEFA Playoffs.
Serbia brought powerless Ronaldo on the brink of breakdown
Aleksandar Mitrovic (left) and Luka Jovic (right) of Serbia, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal (center). (Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
Portugal played too cautiously and attempted to keep the score equal inthe moment when the result was1-1, which was valid until the dyingminutes when Aleksandar Mitrovic was just in the right place at the right time. The Fulham striker received a great cross by DusanTadic and silenced the fans at the Estadio Da Luz, but at the same time infuriated and angered the greatestPortuguese star.
TheSeleção captain, Cristiano Ronaldodesperately and powerlessly tried to explain to his teammates how they should have defended at the moment the away side netted, and he also hada terrible left-footed attempt toscore afterward.
Eventually, the prevailing of the Serbian national teamfrustrated the 36-year-old veteran so much that he was on the verge of tears. He faceda difficult situationwhere Portugal have failed to certify theirdirect ticket to the FIFA World Cup.
