North Macedonia’s fairytale ended at the hands of Portugal; the Selecao beat the minnows 2-0 in the playoff final to seal a berth at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The upcoming World Cup proved to be a step too far for minnow North Macedonia, who, despite beating European champions Italy in the semifinal, lost to Portugal in the one-legged playoff final. At their expense, Fernando Santos’ booked their place in Qatar, courtesy of a double from Bruno Fernandes.
Unsurprisingly, the 2016 Euro winners were the more dominant of the two sides on the night, and they were rewarded for the same in the 32nd minute, when the Manchester United midfielder put his foot through the ball after his club teammate Cristiano Ronaldo had squared it to him on the edge of the box – the ball nestled into the corner and the Selecao led 1-0.
Bruno doubled Portugal’s lead – and completed his brace – in the 65th minute. The attacker ghosted in behind the opposition backline and volleyed Diogo Jota’s deep cross past goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski the first time of asking. Portugal men cruised through the remainder of the match.
Elsewhere, Poland beat last World Cup’s quarterfinalists Sweden 2-0. Following a goalless first half, talisman Robert Lewandowski put Poland in front from the spot with a hop, skip, and a jump.
Piotr Zielinski doubled his side’s lead – and confirmed their place in the World Cup draw – with the crucial goal in the 72nd minute. The Napoli ace raced on unchallenged before finishing emphatically past Robin Olsen in goal.
Just the one spot from UEFA remains up for grabs, then. Wales, who beat Austria to advance to the playoff final, await the winner of the match between Scotland and Ukraine – one that was postponed due to the ongoing war.
Following the playoff process, the big absence in the World Cup draw remains that of Italy – the 2020 Euro winners missed out on their second consecutive tournament after conceding a stoppage-time goal to North Macedonia in their playoff semifinal last week.
