SM
Newcastle vs. West Ham: 7 hrs 54 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
PN
World Cup | Qualifiers
Nov 15, 2013 at 7.45pm UK
 
SN

1-0

Ronaldo (82')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Late Cristiano Ronaldo strike breaks Swedish resistance

:Headline: Result: Late Cristiano Ronaldo strike breaks Swedish resistance: ID:118195: from db_amp
Cristiano Ronaldo scores the only goal of the game eight minutes from time to earn Portugal a 1-0 advantage over Sweden in the first leg of their World Cup qualifying playoff.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored with eight minutes of normal time remaining to earn Portugal a 1-0 victory over Sweden in the first leg of their World Cup qualifying playoff in Lisbon.

The visitors seemed content to take a goalless draw back to Stockholm for Tuesday's second leg, but the Real Madrid forward struck late on to establish Portugal an advantage and steal the show from fellow Ballon d'Or nominee Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Sweden looked for an away goal in the first period and it was their captain who was nearly the architect, when his dummy allowed Sebastian Larsson to take on a shot which was well saved by Rui Patricio.

Kim Kallstrom seemed to have Patricio beaten minutes later with a free kick which curled just wide of the post, but another set piece effort from Sunderland winger Larsson later in the half was way off target.

Sweden's approach seemed to change after the interval, though, and Portugal pinned them back in their own half with a period of attacking pressure which yielded two chances for Helder Postiga.

The Valencia striker's 54th-minute shot was denied by Andreas Isaksson, who had earlier saved well from Joao Moutinho, and then headed just high of the crossbar from Nani's corner 10 minutes later.

It took Portugal until the 82nd minute to break the deadlock when Ronaldo met a cross from Miguel Veloso and sent the Estadio da Luz wild with a thumping header that left Isaksson helpless.

The same combination nearly doubled Portugal's lead, as Ronaldo struck the crossbar with an almost identical effort in the final stages, but Sweden hung on to keep the second-leg deficit to just one goal.

amp_article__118195 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2013-11-16 15:27:44:
html db last update - 2013-11-16 15:27:44 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .