They host North Macedonia in a clash that will secure the winners a place in the Qatar tournament.
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Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo are just one step away from booking their place in this year’s World Cup. The 2016 European champions survived a resolute Turkish side to advance to the World Cup playoff final. They host North Macedonia in a clash that will secure the winners a place in the Qatar tournament. At this stage, no match is an easy battle – Portugal know that. They had to dig deep to survive an inspired fightback by Turkey in the second half. Otavio and Diogo Jota’s first-half goals put the home side in cruise control at Estadio do Dragao.
However, Turkey’s Burak Yilmaz reduced the deficit with 25 minutes remaining. Then they got the opportunity to equalise from a late penalty but the goalscorer Yilmaz fired over the crossbar from the penalty spot. Finally, Matheus Nunes added a third in stoppage time to seal Portugal’s win. Their next match against North Macedonia might seem easy on paper, but they are very much capable of creating an upset just like how they knocked out Italy in the last round. Ahead of the match, Cristiano Ronaldo has urged the fans to back the players with a full voice on Tuesday to help them win the tricky clash.
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“I urge the fans: I want hell breaking loose at Dragao,” Ronaldo told a news conference, as per Sky Sports website. “I went to bed last night thinking that I want the stadium to shut down the music for our national anthem and let the fans sing it a cappella to show our passion, our strength and union around the objective of reaching the World Cup.
“If our fans show up the way they can, we will win on Tuesday. For us, this game is a matter of life and death. There is a responsibility to win this game. They have surprised opponents in many games but I believe they will not surprise us.”
In the playoff semi-final, North Macedonia pulled off a major shock. Aleksandar Trajkovski scored a stunning goal in the second minute of stoppage time to upset the reigning European champions. However, the Manchester United striker is confident of surviving this challenge.
“It will be the game of our lives too,” said Ronaldo. “The pressure is the same regardless. The team is ready, I don’t care against who we play. If Portugal play at our highest level, we can win against any opponent in the world. So that’s why I insist with my call to the fans: we need your full support on Tuesday. If you are with us, we will win the game.”
