Portugal reaches the end of the group stage of the European classification in the same situation as Spain, with a home game and knowing that the draw is worth it to secure a place in the next World Cup. The Portuguese team fulfilled yesterday without showing off on Irish soil, where they did just enough not to lose that advantage and signed a draw (0-0) that seemed to satisfy everyone except the voracious Cristiano Ronaldo, who was looking to swell a devastating statistic that has him at two goals out of the 800 in official matches (5 with Sporting, 127 with Manchester United, 450 with Real Madrid, 101 with Juventus and 115 with Portugal).
But nobody scored at the Aviva Stadium, the renovated Lansdowne Road stadium, packed with fans for a game in which nothing was going to go to Ireland, which signs a terrible qualifying phase, with only one win in seven games and without having been able to win a single match in Dublin. Portugal saved some pieces like Ruben Dias, Cancelo or Diogo Jota. Bernardo Silva stayed in Lisbon to recover from an ailment. Joao Félix barely played the last quarter of an hour, just when Ireland was more animated in attack and launched for the victory.
Cristiano was able to score, but he lacked aim. A cross from André Silva headed near the post midway through the second half. In the end, the team led by Fernando Santos accepted a draw that places them at the top of the group, tied on points with Serbia, which played a friendly against Qatar (4-0) and already knows that only victory is worth it in Lisbon. They will be there on Sunday with all the dynamite of their forward: Vlahovic, Jovic and Milinkovic-Savic sharpened the sight and scored in the friendly against the hosts of the World Cup. In Portugal, Pepe will be dismissed, expelled.
Russia and Croatia will also play a ticket to Qatar on Sunday in another direct duel. In this case, it is the Russians who have the advantage that the tie gives them the pass. The Croats play at home in Split. In the penultimate stake, both squads completed the procedure. Russia got their duel against Cyprus on track in the fourth minute with a goal from Erokhin, a Zenit midfielder. And he hardly suffered until in the second half he finished breaking down the wall of his rival with five more goals (6-0). Valeri Karpin took over as coach last July and his results are encouraging: five wins and one draw in Moscow against the Croats; 13 goals for and just one against.
Romanian petardazo
The Split appointment will be a litmus test for the Russians. Croatia trailed in the group since Slovenia’s initial loss on the field and a second setback against Slovakia the previous day left them in an extreme situation. He could not stumble in Malta and went over a weak rival (1-7) on a night in which he saved some pieces, especially in defense. Modric, Perisic and Kramaric did not get to play for an hour. They left after scoring one goal each.
In Bucharest Romania hit the backfire, missing the last five World Cups and now need to win on the last day in Liechtenstein and North Macedonia stumbling against Iceland to qualify for the play-off. The Nordic team no longer have options, but they drew (0-0) in Bucharest and took the advantage of their opponent for second place in the group.
The Armenian dream of Joaquín Caparrós, coach of the team of the former Soviet Republic, rudely ended with a win in their own field against North Macedonia (0-5), a selection that was already in the last European Championship by taking advantage of the route of the Nations League and now depends on itself to play the play-off that can lead to its first World Cup, with its captain Enis Bardhi at the wheel. The Levante midfielder scored three goals in Erevan, two of them from penalties and struck down Armenia, who added ten points in the first four games, but have since collapsed with two draws and three defeats in the next five appointments, including a stumble at home to modest Liechtenstein.
The modest Alpine team spent a nightmare night in Berlin, where they were outnumbered after ten minutes and conceded four goals in the next quarter hour. Germany was already qualified, but did not avoid passing the roller in a match in which Hansi Flick put together an eleven without excessive rotations. Gündogan, Sané, Reus and Kaufmann, a Liechtenstein defender, sentenced with their goals in the first quarter of the game and set a scandalous win (9-0) on track.
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