
Audio By Carbonatix
Portugal kept their hopes of reaching the 2022 World Cup alive as they beat Turkey after the visitors missed a late penalty in the play-off semi-final in Porto.
First-half goals from Otavio and Diogo Jota put the hosts in control at Estadio do Dragao and they looked to be cruising into the play-off final before Turkey responded.
Burak Yilmaz side-footed into the bottom corner with 25 minutes remaining to set up a nervy finish but then fired over the crossbar from the penalty spot.
Matheus Nunes added a third for Portugal in stoppage time to put the game beyond Turkey.
Fernando Santos' side, denied automatic qualification from the group by Serbia, will now face North Macedonia on Tuesday for the chance to book a place in Qatar.
Portugal were no doubt expecting to find Italy waiting for them in their play-off final, but Aleksandar Trajkovski's stoppage-time winner earned North Macedonia a shock win against the European champions.
"These games are finals. Finals are always complicated," said Portugal boss Santos. "We won the first one and now we have to win the second. That's what we're going to focus on.
"This game is over. Now we have to focus on North Macedonia, which will be a difficult game for sure. If they managed to beat Italy that means it's going to be very difficult."
Hosts make hard work of it
In Porto, the final score made this look like a comfortable win for Portugal and it would have been if the hosts had capitalised on their dominance earlier in the game.
A stretching Jota somehow turned Bruno Fernandes' dipping free-kick over the crossbar from close range before Portugal broke the deadlock after 15 minutes.
Bernardo Silva struck the post with a low effort and the ball ran across the goalmouth into the path of Otavio, who squeezed in from an angle despite the best efforts of goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir.
Turkey then began to play and had half chances of their own, with Kutlu heading wide at the far post, before Portugal doubled their lead.
Captain Cristiano Ronaldo started a neat move with a lovely flick and the hosts worked it well to Otavio, who picked out Jota and the Liverpool forward powered a header into the net.
That seemingly put Portugal in command but they failed to extend their lead when Otavio headed wide in the second half and against the run of play Turkey responded.
A swift move from the hosts allowed Yilmaz to finish smartly and the 36-year-old was then presented with a huge opportunity after Jose Fonte caught Enes Unal in the box, a penalty awarded after the referee consulted the pitchside monitor.
But Yilmaz lent back and sent his effort sailing over the crossbar, before Portugal wrapped up their progression in added time when Nunes beat the offside trap to finish smartly.
Latest Stories
-
Ghana Battalion 14 completes reconnaissance mission ahead of UN peacekeeping deployment in South Sudan
35 minutes -
HAWA Project Manager calls for climate-responsive humanitarian systems as extreme weather intensifies
38 minutes -
KMA ‘samansaman’ arrests 13 over poor sanitary practices in their homes
40 minutes -
KAIPTC opens HAWA 2026, calls for stronger regional cooperation to tackle West Africa’s humanitarian crises
40 minutes -
Nearly one in five Ghanaians may be living with chronic kidney disease as cases surge nationwide
43 minutes -
Big Push: Rehabilitation of 81.3km of roads in Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam reaches 73% completion
44 minutes -
NPP alleges political frustration in Hanan’s arrest case
44 minutes -
73% of CEOs bullish about economy but worried of technology risks – PwC
47 minutes -
Interior Minister urges immigration commanders to strengthen coordination against emerging security threats
48 minutes -
Ghana Armed Forces launches three-week security exercise in Nkwanta and Bawku
48 minutes -
Eight rescued from seaplane that made ‘hard landing’ in Manhattan river
52 minutes -
Ex-Syrian intelligence chief found guilty of torture and sexual abuse by Austrian court
52 minutes -
Nexus Global Services holds workshop to prepare kidney patients for transplants
53 minutes -
Is Ghana finally winning war against romance scams?
1 hour -
Health Ministry opens recruitment for 36th batch of Medical Officers and Dentists
1 hour