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Portugal 1-1 Serbia
Another game, another night of frustration and wondering what could have been for the Seleção. In the face of the Ukraine, Portugal faced a resolute demonstration of tenacity in defense and organization that proved too difficult to destroy. Dusan Tadic, one of the best players of the match, converted a penalty of first half, but Danilo appeared to score a long-term goal to draw a side tie.
Then, Portugal had another blow while Ronaldo was forced to leave with an unknown injury in the first half. Even if they tried to do it, the locals were again forced to settle for a draw in front of a crowd of spectators in Lisbon.
As expected, Fernando Santos made changes to the starting lineup that faced Ukraine on Friday night with the arrival of Rafa, Danilo and Dyego Sousa at the expense of Moutinho, Andre Silva and Rúben Neves. But the heavily criticized 4-4-2 double pivot remained in place, though Danilo brought very different abilities alongside William at the base of the Portuguese midfielder. Meanwhile, Dyego Sousa hoped to exploit the opportunity that was offered to him thanks to the poor form of André Silva.
The first half was completely manic. Portugal nearly took the lead in the 5th minute as a result of a scramble in the direction of goal that resulted in William's effort which was very wide. But Serbia took the lead with their first attack of the match. Gacinovic was whitened with a nice chip on the Portuguese background of Tadic. Patricio rushed to ward off the danger but only managed to control Gacinovic's body, the referee pointing at his finger after a moment of hesitation. Dusan Tadic sent Patricio the wrong way to lead 0-1.
Ronaldo was then saved by Dmitrovic's brilliant shot a few moments later when his shot from outside the box was pushed back to cover. Rafa Silva was the next to get closer to Dmitrovic, again diverting his efforts to the wrong side of the post. Serbia, meanwhile, looks profitable, each attack creating uncertainty on the Portuguese hinterland.
The chances did not stop to score for Portugal and Ronaldo scored a long pbad from the left with excellent chest control, but completely missed his attempt at a goal. But the situation got worse for Portugal in the 28th minute when Ronaldo felt something that was not going to the right leg at all while he was running behind Rafa's bad pbad. Santos was immediately obliged to withdraw Ronaldo and Pizzi entered the fray.
The game is a little calmer after the release of Ronaldo, but an unexpected hero has revived the spirit of Portugal. Danilo received the ball near the midfield and took advantage of Serbia's reluctant reaction to score. The Porto midfielder galloped past several defenders and fired a powerful shot into the top right corner, a sensational goal.
Serbia went back and nearly scored when Mitrovic put Tadic on a padded head, but the bad effort of the Ajax striker pbaded the bar. The visitors finished the half in the lead, Portugal having returned to their own defensive third, but the teams went on the break, all tied at 1-1.
Rui Patricio was forced to make the first rescue of the second period by placing himself on his right, Tadic seeking a rebound. Then Dyego Sousa narrowly missed contact with an excellent Wariro center on the left.
Ljajic was superbly prepared in the 55th minute after a good move on the right, but his shot from the top of the penalty area was largely erased. Fernando Santos traded André Silva against Dyego Sousa, who had trouble distinguishing himself.
Portugal gradually regained control of the match, but struggled to create good opportunities, despite increased possession. Danilo attempted another shot full of hope and William failed to control a center for Andre Silva from the right while Portugal was working.
Then, 20 minutes from the end of the match, a fierce defense between Rafa Silva and William was ruined by the fierce Serbian defense, a major opportunity for visitors. A few minutes later, Portugal was sentenced to a penalty due to a handball in the box, but after a short discussion, the referee gave up. The replays showed that the ball was beating the defender's outstretched arm and the decision was made even more disturbing as Portugal also did not get a corner after the penalty was retracted, probably due to 39, an offside.
Guerreiro tested Dmitrovic on a free kick shot to the right in the 79th minute, but Serbia continued to frustrate Portugal. The left-back of Borussia Dortmund just missed another shot from a distance in stoppage time. Bernardo Silva and Pepe even had time to miss glorious chances that seemed destined for the back of the net.
But as in so many other cases over the years, Portugal has worked tirelessly and faces the prospect of a new grueling qualification campaign against opponents who seem beatable on paper. In truth, the defeat of Ronaldo as a result of an injury hurts his cause desperately, but with or without his captain, Portugal leaves far too much chance to beg. Serbia for its part was resistant in defense and looked impressive on the counter until they tired in the second half. Although skillful, Portugal's young talents have shown a lack of cruelty during the matches against Ukraine and Serbia. Meanwhile, Fernando Santos continues to line up a defense-focused starting lineup with two DMs attempting to inspire offensive play across the midfield while maintaining coverage for the fourth. That has not worked and Portugal has everything to do for qualifying at Euro 2020 since it is now focusing on the semifinals of the UEFA League of Nations in June.
Portugal will resume qualifying on 7 September against Serbia in Belgrade.
by Nathan Motz
Portugal XI: Rui Patrício; João Cancelo, Pepe, Rúben Dias, Raphael Guerreiro; Danilo, William Carvalho, Rafa (Guedes, 84), Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo (Pizzi, 31), Dyego Sousa (Andre Silva, 57)
Serbia XI: Dmitrovic, Spajic, Milenkovic, Mladenovic, Rukavina, Maksimovic, Gacinovic (Radonjic, 21,), Ljajic (Milinkovic-Savic, 87 #), Tadic, Lazovic (Zivkovic, 69)) , Mitrovic
goals:
[0-1] Dusan Tadic, 7 P PEN
[1-1] Danilo, 42 & # 39;
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