Cristiano Ronaldo reaches 5th FIFA World Cup as Portugal beat North Macedonia to qualify for Qatar 2022
India Today
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to compete at his fifth FIFA World Cup this year after helping Portugal beat North Macedonia in a qualifying playoff.
Cristiano Ronaldo will get to play in his fifth FIFA World Cup after Portugal defeated North Macedonia 2-0 in the European qualifying playoffs to qualify for Qatar 2022 on Tuesday.
“Goal accomplished,” Ronaldo said on Instagram after the match. “We made it to the World Cup in Qatar. We are where we deserve to be.”
This time there was no stunning late winner for North Macedonia to eliminate the traditional powerhouse like against European champions Italy last Thursday in Palermo.
Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring for the hosts after a pass by Ronaldo in the first half and added another goal in the second to secure Portugal's place in the World Cup for the sixth straight time.
“This is a special victory,” Fernandes said. “We reached our goal, which was what mattered. Portugal has played better matches, but this one will stay in our memories because it gave us a place in the World Cup.”
There will be no first finals appearance for North Macedonia, which was coming off its first participation in a major tournament at the 2020 European Championship.
After escaping the playoffs, Portugal will be a seeded team in Friday’s draw for soccer’s showcase event in November.
