Portugal had to endure a difficult road to the World Cup and finally made it through the playoffs. As what appeared to be a straightforward qualifying group came to a close, all Cristiano Ronaldo and the company needed to do to get to Qatar was defeated Serbia in the remaining matches. However, a shocking breakdown in that game allowed Aleksandar Mitrovic to lead the Serbs to a 2-1 victory on Portuguese territory, eliminating their opponents from contention. When Turkey and Italy were placed in their four-team play-off group, there were serious questions about whether Ronaldo would make it to what is likely to be his final World Cup. However, victories over Turkey and North Macedonia guaranteed Portugal’s place in the finals.
Portugal’s World Cup performance has been relatively shaky despite the fact that they were crowned European champions six years ago. The Portuguese have only once reached the semifinals since placing third at the 1966 World Cup when they ended fourth. That was in 2006 when they finished fourth. Write off this Portugal team at your risk despite their dismal World Cup record. By the later rounds of the competition, confidence in a very simple group may soar thanks to the availability of some of the best defenders in the world and one of the greatest collections of attackers ever.
The discussion of the preliminary round of Cristiano Ronaldo frequently appears in Portugal, but never one quite like this. There are many younger and more effective attacking options, therefore it has been questioned whether the 37-year-old captain of Portugal is the best choice to lead the line in Qatar given his poor play for Manchester United. Without a doubt, Ronaldo, who has personal goals to pursue in the Middle East, will be more driven to lead the national team to victory. Ronaldo has only won the World Cup so far in his career, and he has made it known that he intends to continue playing for his country until the 2024 European Championships.
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