Serbia defeats Portugal 2-1 to book a spot in the Finals of 2022 FIFA World cup

Portugal, albeit defeated, is not entirely out of the chase. They will now have to fight it off in a playoff battle to find a place in the Finals.

In the virtual final played between the two top teams of the European Qualifier group A, Portugal took on Serbia for a place in the final. It was an emphatic match with two unbeaten teams going head-to-head for one place in the final. The Serbians had emerged as a dark horse in the tournament, and the Portuguese team knew that very well.

The star-studded lineup of Portugal was expected to cruise home safely, and they definitely started the match off in that fashion. With Bernardo Silva and Renato Sanchez linking up in the early minutes of the game, Portugal scored a very early goal in the 2nd minute of the game. It felt as if there was going to be a landslide victory for Portugal, waiting to happen. The Serbian captain Dusan Tadic had other ideas, though, and he drew his side level in the 33rd minute of the game. It was a straightforward shot from Tadic, but Rui Patricio, the Portuguese goal-keeper, mistimed his dive and, in the end, spilled an easy save. This brought a shift in the game, as Portugal, who had dictated the better part of the first half, found itself chasing the Serbian team.

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The second half, too, started with the same intent from Serbia. They continuously found pockets of space in Portugal’s defense and tested Patricio from time to time. There were occasional counterattacks by Portugal as well, but none of them could find them a goal. In the dying minutes of the game, when everyone thought that it would end as level pegging in the normal time, Aleksander Mitrovic stood up to the task of applying the finishing touches for his team. In the 90th minute of the game, the center forward received a great cross from his captain from the right flank. With Portuguese defenders caught napping, Mitrovic beat Patricio to his near post to book a ticket for his side in the finals of FIFA World Cup 2022.

Portugal, albeit defeated, is not entirely out of the chase. They will now have to fight it off in a playoff battle to find a place in the Finals.