Cristiano Ronaldo has put negativity to one side and believes Portugal can qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. After taking the comeback against Serbia on Sunday, the team led by Fernando Santos will have to compete in the recap of the European Qualifiers.
The dissatisfaction is clear for the players, but the Manchester United star showed confidence and assured that the team is not downcast.
“Football has shown us time and time again that, at times, it is the most winding paths that lead us to the most desired outcomes. Yesterday’s result was tough, but not enough to get us down. The objective of being present at the 2022 World Cup is still very much alive and we know what we have to do to get there. No excuses. Portugal towards Qatar”, wrote Cristiano.
Portugal only needed a draw to qualify for the World Cup and even came out ahead on the scoreboard, but took the turn in the final minutes.
As a result, Serbia took the lead in Group A of the European Qualifiers, with 20 points. Portugal finished in second place, with 17, and will need to compete in the repechage, which will only be decided in March.
In the repechage dispute, 12 teams will be looking for the last three spots in Europe. The teams that finished second in each of the ten groups will join two teams among those with the best campaign in the League of Nations.
Thus, the division will be in three groups with four teams. In each group, there will be semifinals and finals in a single game and only the champions of the brackets will go to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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