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Portugal beat Turkey 3-1 at the Estadio de Dragao to set up a clash with North Macedonia on Tuesday for a spot in the FIFA World Cup later this year.
Portugal started the game with the sole intention of crushing the visitors. They came all guns blazing and finally found the break through in the 15th minute of the game. Otavio latched onto the ball after Ugurcan Cakir denied Bernardo Silva and slotted one in. Diogo Jota doubled Portugal's lead in the 42nd minute. He headed one in from close range after receiving a great cross from Otavio.
Turkey started the second half on a better note. They found some hope as Burak Yilmaz pulled one back following some brilliant work by Cengiz Under to set him up. In the 85th minute, Turkey were awarded a penalty for a foul on Enes Unal. But Yilmaz failed to score as he hit the bar from the spot.
Matheus Nunes finally put the game to bed in the 4th minute of injury time as he clinically slotted one past Cakir. Nunes scored Portugal's third of the night following a great pass from Rafael Leao.
On that note, here's a look at five talking points from the game:
#5 Burak Yilmaz's penalty miss was a game-changer
Burak Yilmaz skied a penalty in the 85th minute of the game. His shot from the spot hit the woodwork and the ball spiraled out of play. Had he scored from the spot, the scores would have been equal and the hosts would have been under tremendous pressure.
Yilmaz's goal in the 65th minute led them to believe that they have a chance to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. But his miss from the spot in the dying minutes destroyed Turkey's spirit and chances.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo had an impressive game, but just could not score
Cristiano Ronaldo had a great game but it could have been much better. The 37-year-old squandered quite a few chances to register his name on the scoresheet. Ronaldo missed two big chances in stoppage time. Ugurcan Cakir saved Joao Felix's attempt, which fell for Ronaldo who just did not see it coming his way till the last second.
For Ronaldo's second big miss, he hit the woodwork from close range after receiving the ball from Felix. He seemed to do everything else perfectly as his link-up play with Felix, Diogo Jota, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes was a treat to watch.
#3 Portugal do it without their star players
Portugal came into this fixture with quite a few of their star players missing. The hosts had most of their first-choice defenders out of this game. Ruben Dias, Pepe, Joao Cancelo and Nelson Semedo were missing at the back. Fernando Santos had to go with Danilo Pereira and Jose Fonte as his make-shift center-back pairing. The pairing was not a massive hit, but it got the job done.
Other notable absentees for Portugal were Renato Sanches, Anthony Lopes and Ruben Neves. With so many players sidelined with injuries and Covid, Portugal did a great job of churning out this win.
#2 Turkey bow out with dignity
Turkey did not lose without putting up a strong fight. The visitors really started orchestrating play in the second half. The Turks produced a magical sequence for Burak Yilmaz's goal in the 65th minute of the game. Cengiz Under, Berkan Kutlu and Yilmaz combined beautifully in the buildup to the goal. Under's vision to find Yilmaz was supreme.
Turkey kept searching for their equalizer and almost had it in the dying minutes of the game. Jose Fonte clipped Enes Unal to earn a penalty. Unfortunately, Yilmaz hit the bar from the spot.
#1 Portugal were lethal upfront
Portugal had three goals on the scoreboard but it could have been a lot more. The hosts were firing on all cylinders in attack. Otavio scored his first competitive goal for Portugal as he opened the scoring for them in the 15th minute of the game. He even set up Diogo Jota for Portugal's second of the night.
Apart from that, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao and Matheus Luiz Nunes were magnificent coming off the bench. Nunes scored his first goal for the national team following some brilliant work down the line by Leao to set him up. Overall, it was a great performance upfront.
