Serbia booked their place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the expense of Portugal, who will now have to navigate the play-offs. Meanwhile, Spain and Croatia beat Sweden and Russia, respectively, to qualify for the tournament.
Renato Sanches gave Portugal the lead with just two minutes on the board. The midfielder was the beneficiary of Bernardo Silva’s excellent pressing on Nemanja Gudelj, who gave the ball away to Silva on the edge of the box. Silva played Sanches in with the simplest of passes, and the Lille star slammed a shot into the back of the net from inside the box.
Dusan Tadic restored parity in the 33rd minute but with a helping hand from the Portuguese custodian Rui Patricio. The Ajax attacker’s shot from outside the box was spilled by the goalkeeper over the line, bringing Serbia back into the game.
The two sides fashioned half chances throughout the remainder of the match, but the telling moment came just as the clock struck 90; Aleksandar Mitrovic – on as a substitute – headed in at the back post, a cross from Tadic. Serbia held on to their narrow lead, condemning Portugal to navigate the play-offs.
There were better results for the other top sides on Sunday night, as Spain and Croatia both booked their place at Qatar at the expense of Sweden and Russia, respectively.
Alvaro Morata gave La Roja a late lead in their match against Sweden – a first-versus-second clash in Group B. The Juventus man finished calmly from close range after Dani Olmo’s shot rattled the bar and fell into his feet.
Croatia, similarly, took the lead late on against Group H leaders Russia. Fyodor Kudryashov inadvertently pushed the ball into his net, as it took an awkward bounce in front of him from a Borna Sosa cross.
Youngster Matvei Safonov, impressive in goal throughout the night for Russia, could do nothing but watch the ball hit the back of the net, and with it, Russia slipped down to the play-offs.
