Portugal Reached the World Cup After Beating North Macedonia in the Play-Off final with a Brace from Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes sealed Portugal’s World Cup qualification with a hat-trick in their play-off final victory against North Macedonia.
Fernandes won the ball in midfield, played a one-two with Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, and then shot home from the outside of the box to give Porto the lead.
He then volleyed in Diogo Jota’s cross for the second after assisting in initiating the play beyond his own area.
Macedonia, who surprised Italy in the semifinals, provided nothing during the match.
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They never seemed like they would qualify for their first World Cup and never put Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa to the test.
Portugal qualified for their sixth consecutive World Cup, with Ronaldo, 37, attending for the fifth and perhaps last time.
Fernando Santos has guided his team to Euro 2016 and the 2019 Nations League, and they are now vying for their first World Cup title.
