Late defeat to Serbia on Sunday night not only infuriated the Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, but also left his presence at the 2022 World Cup in the balance.
Portugal lost to Serbia (2-1) in the last round of the European qualifiers to finish second behind Serbia in Group B. Portugal needed a draw for direct qualification but their hopes were dashed with the winner in the dying minutes of the game.
Portugal now head to the difficult European play-off in the hope of securing one of the last three spots in the World Cup.
This will be the third time in the 21st Century that the Portuguese will have to qualify for the main tournament after participating in the playoffs. For the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, they had to take the same route to qualify.
The draw for the UEFA World Cup 2022 play-offs will be held on 26 November 2021. A total of 12 teams will compete in the play-offs. These 12 teams are divided into three four-team paths, with each path consisting of semi-finals and a final. The winners of the three finals advance to the World Cup.
Ronaldo holds the record with 115 international goals. He is only the second men’s player to pass the 100 international goals mark.
