Ranking Portugal's 5 best players against Turkey

Having failed to secure automatic qualification for the 2022 World Cup, Portugal took on Turkey in the playoff semifinals on Thursday night (24 March).

The hosts had a few nervy moments in the match but ultimately walked away with a 3-1 win over the Turks at the Estadio do Dragao. A goal apiece from Otavio and Diogo Jota in the first half and substitute Matheus Nunes’ injury-time strike sealed Portugal’s passage into the playoff final.

To no one’s surprise, Portugal’s first chance on the night fell to a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. The Manchester United forward, however, uncharacteristically skied his effort from inside the box.

In the 15th minute, the hosts got their noses ahead, thanks to Otavio’s instinctive finishing. After Bernardo Silva unluckily hit the post, the resulting ricochet fell kindly to Otavio, who applied the finishing touch from a tight angle.

27 minutes later, the scorer turned provider as he sent an inviting cross into Turkey's box for Jota to head home from close range. The visitors pulled one back through Burak Yilmaz, who slotted the ball past onrushing keeper Diogo Costa in the 65th minute.

Eight minutes from full-time, Enes Unal was fouled by Jose Fonte inside the Portuguese box. The referee did not point to the spot right away, but was asked by VAR to look at the pitchside monitor. After looking at the replays of the incident, the referee pointed to the spot.

Unfortunately for the underdogs, their skipper, Yilmaz, took an atrocious penalty, clattering his effort against the crossbar to keep the scoreline at 2-1. Four minutes into injury time, the hosts landed the killer blow, with Nunes converting efficiently from Rafael Leao’s through ball.

Following the 3-1 win, Portugal have taken a major step towards appearing at the World Cup in Qatar later this year. They will take on North Macedonia in the playoff final on Tuesday night (29 March).

Here are five Portuguese stars who stepped up against Turkey to take them closer to World Cup football:

#5 Matheus Nunes

Portugal v Turkey: Knockout Round Play-Offs - 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier

Truth be told, we would not be handing Nunes a spot had Portugal not wobbled in the final minutes of the match.

With Turkey pushing for an equalizer, the hosts started getting desperate to run the clock down. They made three consecutive substitutions in the last couple of minutes to break the Turks’ flow.

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Central midfielder Nunes was brought in for Moutinho, Leao for Otavio, and Nuno Mendes for Raphael Guerreiro. Leao and Nunes exceeded their coach’s expectations by combining for a goal.

Leao played Nunes through on goal with a perfectly weighted pass. The midfielder cleverly brought the offload under control, rounded the Turkish keeper Ugurcan Cakir, and slotted it into the empty net.

Cameos do not get any better than this.

#4 Joao Moutinho

Portugal’s midfield general Joao Moutinho produced another understated yet stellar display on Thursday night. He was always calm and collected on the ball, rarely misplaced a pass, and effortlessly controlled the flow of the game.

His positioning, too, was spot on and somehow always made himself available to his teammates in the middle of the park.

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Against Turkey, Moutinho completed a match-high 89 passes with 91.8 percent accuracy, precisely delivered seven long balls, and attempted two tackles.

A classic display from the 35-year-old Wolverhampton Wanderers star.

#3 Bernardo Silva

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva enjoyed a fine outing on Thursday night. The Portuguese passed the ball around immaculately, tested the keeper on a couple of occasions, and rarely gave the ball away.

In the 15th minute, Silva was denied by the post as he dispatched a venomous strike from outside the box. Thankfully, Otavio was there to tuck it home.

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Over the course of the match, Silva made 58 passes with 92.1 percent accuracy, registered two shots on target, won six duels, and ceded possession five times.

#2 Diogo Jota

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota scored his team's second goal against Turkey on Thursday night. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man drifted away at the far post to make room for himself and converted emphatically from Otavio’s cross.

Before finding the back of the net three minutes before half-time, Jota somehow squandered a brilliant opportunity from close range.

In the 11th minute, Bruno Fernandes curled a perfect free-kick into the box to find Jota’s outstretched leg. From point-blank range, the Liverpool star's effort sailed over the bar, leaving the home supporters in agony.

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Apart from the goal and the miss, Jota registered two key passes, won five ground duels, and completed two dribbles.

#1 Otavio

In a Portugal team full of superstars, a relatively lesser-known player made headlines against the Turks. Otavio’s inclusion came as a surprise to many, but in the end, it worked out perfectly for Fernando Santos and his men.

The FC Porto man scored a goal and assisted another in the first half, putting Portugal in the driver’s seat.

With a quarter of an hour on the clock, Otavio put the home team ahead at the Estadio do Dragao. Silva’s goalbound effort clattered onto the inside of the post and came back into play. Otavio was the quickest to react and squeezed the ball in from a narrow angle.

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Three minutes before half-time, the forward received a ball from Moutinho down the inside-right and clipped an inviting cross into the area. Jota leapt to meet the delivery and squeezed his effort under the keeper.

The goal and the assist aside, Otavio won nine duels, registered two key passes, and attempted three tackles. A marvelous performance from the 27-year-old.

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