Chapter 495: Direct to Russia
As October 2017 began, the world of football entered another international matchday.
For most continents, this international matchday was crucial for each national team as it marked the final battle in their quest to qualify for next year's World Cup in Russia.
In September, the European qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup saw eight rounds of matches. Apart from Belgium, who had already secured their place from Group H, no other team had yet clinched a spot for next summer in Russia.
In Group B, where Portugal competed, the situation remained tense. Despite Portugal's eight consecutive wins placing them at the top, Switzerland followed closely with seven wins and one loss.
Barring any unexpected results, the two teams would have to wait until the final round to determine who would qualify directly for Russia and who would go to the playoffs for a last chance to secure their World Cup spot.
In the 9th round of the group stage, both Portugal and Switzerland played their matches simultaneously at 8:45 PM Central European Time on October 7. Switzerland hosted Hungary, who were already eliminated, while Portugal visited Andorra, the bottom team in the group.
Given the strength of Portugal and Switzerland, both were expected to win their matches easily. The key factor was the scoreline with which they would win.
However, considering the goal difference between Portugal and Switzerland, it was practically meaningless for Switzerland to try and outscore Portugal. The difference was too vast.
After eight rounds, Portugal had scored 43 goals and conceded 4, with a goal difference of 39. Switzerland, on the other hand, had scored 18 goals and conceded 6, with a goal difference of only 12.
In essence, if Portugal defeated Andorra in this round, they would almost certainly secure the top spot in the group and direct qualification to Russia.
Even if Switzerland managed to defeat Portugal in the final round, overcoming a 27-goal difference was an almost impossible task.
For Switzerland to top the group, they needed to win both of their remaining matches and hope Portugal slipped up against Andorra.
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Facing Andorra away, Portugal were determined to win because securing this match would make it nearly impossible for Switzerland to catch up.
As expected, the match went smoothly. With their full-strength squad, Portugal thrashed Andorra 5-0, with Bruno scoring twice and assisting twice, while Cristiano Ronaldo also netted twice.
With this result, the standings in Group B were practically decided.
Although Switzerland won 5:2 at home against Hungary, bringing their total to 24 points, they still trailed Portugal by 3 points and a goal difference that had now widened to 29 goals.
For Switzerland to overturn this, they would need to beat Portugal by 15 goals in the final match—an impossible feat.
Realistically, Portugal had secured their spot as group winners and direct qualification to the World Cup. The final round's match would only be about Portugal maintaining their perfect record, while Switzerland aimed to avoid being beaten twice by the same opponent.
After all, with 24 points, Switzerland was the strongest second-placed team across all groups, outperforming the winners of Groups A, D, and I.
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Although the match between Portugal and Switzerland no longer held significance in terms of qualification, it was still fiercely contested. Switzerland set up a strong defensive line, fighting for their pride.
Portugal struggled in the first half and only broke the deadlock in the 27th minute when Bruno forced an own goal from former Arsenal defender. However, Switzerland soon counterattacked and threatened Portugal's goal several times.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Bruno broke into the box and scored again, extending Portugal's lead.
Despite being two goals down, Switzerland continued to fight hard, showcasing their resilience and proving they were not an easy opponent.
But compared to Portugal, who had superstars like Bruno and Cristiano Ronaldo, Switzerland simply couldn't match their firepower.
In the 56th minute, Portugal took advantage of a counterattack, with Bernardo Silva assisting André Silva to score the third goal.
Just five minutes later, Bruno made a breakthrough on the right wing, delivering a precise cross into the box where Ronaldo headed the ball home, making it 4-0.
At this point, Switzerland finally lost their fighting spirit, and Portugal controlled the game without further heavy attacking.
In the end, Portugal won 4-0 at home, finishing the group stage with a perfect record of ten wins.
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Thus, the European qualifiers for the World Cup in Russia came to an end. Portugal became one of the two teams with a perfect record, the other being Germany.
The German team also performed exceptionally well, defeating all their opponents in Group C, which included Northern Ireland, the Czech Republic, Norway, Azerbaijan, and San Marino. They scored 43 goals and conceded only 4, tying with Portugal and Croatia for the third-least goals conceded.
The teams conceding the fewest goals were England and Spain, each letting in only 3 goals.
Portugal, scoring 52 goals, were the highest-scoring team among the 54 participating European nations, surpassing Germany and Belgium by 9 goals.
Bruno, with 19 goals, was the top scorer in the European qualifiers, followed by Ronaldo with 17 goals, and Lewandowski with 16 goals.
Bruno also led in assists with 13, earning him the assist king title.
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With the group stage concluded, the nine group winners were confirmed.
France, Portugal, Germany, Serbia, Poland, England, Spain, Belgium, and Iceland topped their groups, earning direct tickets to next year's World Cup in Russia.
Iceland, who amazed everyone at last year's European Championship, was once again the dark horse of the European qualifiers. They topped Group I, which included strong teams like Croatia, Ukraine, and Turkey, with a record of 7 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses.
Among the nine second-placed teams, Slovakia from Group F was the weakest, with only 18 points, thus missing out on the playoffs.
Sweden, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Italy, Greece, and Croatia would battle in the playoffs for the remaining four European spots at the World Cup.
After the draw, the playoff matchups were:
Croatia vs. GreeceNorthern Ireland vs. SwitzerlandSweden vs. ItalyDenmark vs. Republic of Ireland
These teams would face off in two-legged ties during the November international break, with the winners qualifying for the World Cup and the losers being eliminated.
(End of Chapter)
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