“It would have been unfair for Portugal not to make it to the World Cup,” veteran defender Pepe said. “We showed our strength on the field to give this victory to our fans .”
Ronaldo missed Portugal’s first good chance in a breakaway the 14th minute on Tuesday, then gave a soft pass to his Manchester United teammate for the opening goal after a blunder by the North Macedonia defense in the 32nd. Fernandes entered the area and fired a low shot by the far post, then added to the lead from close range after a pass by Diogo Jota in the 65th.
North Macedonia, which gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, didn’t get past the group stage at last year’s Euro, losing all of its three matches. But in addition to the shocking 1-0 win against Italy last week, it had also surprised with a win at Germany last year in its European qualifying group, in which it finished second to the Germans and ahead of Romania.
Coach Santos had some important returns to the squad on Tuesday, with defenders Pepe and João Cancelo playing from the start after missing the game against Turkey. Pepe had tested positive for COVID-19, while Cancelo was suspended.
Failure to qualify for Portugal could have meant the end of the line with the national team for coach Santos and veteran players Pepe, José Fonte and João Moutinho, who are all 35 or older.
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