1-0, with a 92-minute goal, North Macedonia, which is regarded as a European fish belly team, defeated Italy, the sixth in the world, and successfully advanced to the final of the European zone play-offs. Next, North Macedonia's opponent will be Portugal, and if they can continue to be upset, they will reach the World Cup for the first time in history. The strength of North Macedonia can certainly not be compared with Italy and Portugal, but after eliminating the new European champions, the president of North Macedonia has great confidence and has publicly shouted that he wants to send C Ronaldo home, which is simply too arrogant.
There are many fans who believe that the president of North Macedonia is completely losing character by doing so. But it could also be a way for the North Macedonian president to boost morale and be fearless in the face of formidable opponents, which is what football should look like. Just like before the North Macedonian and Italian teams competed, no one thought they could beat the Blues, but in the end it was unexpected. Anything can happen on the football field, and until the moment the referee blows the whistle, the result is difficult to say. Therefore, North Macedonia is not without opportunities to be upset, and it can only be said that Portugal has a greater chance to win.
North Macedonia is a former Yugoslav country with a strong football atmosphere and deep ties with Greece, and has produced some excellent stars in history, the most famous of which is the former Inter Triple Crown member Pan Dev. At last year's European Championship, the 38-year-old Pendev still had a very good performance, and he still played an important role in eliminating Italy this time, which can be described as a veteran who does not die. However, the overall strength of North Macedonian football is weak, the lowest international ranking is 166, and the results have improved in the past two years, and it has come to the 67th place in the world, higher than the Chinese men's football team.
A country that has emerged from the war and division, the strength of football has not dropped but has risen, it is admirable, whether they can play in the World Cup or not, this team is a winner. Portugal on the other side beat Turkey 3:1 and successfully reached the final of the play-offs, and since they did not meet Italy, most Portuguese fans thought they had won. After all, Portugal plays a european team to win less and lose more, but against second- and third-rate European teams such as North Macedonia, the chances of winning are still quite large.
For the 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, his career has entered the final stages, the Portuguese superstar on the field has obviously aged, his speed and explosiveness are not as good as before, most of the time rely on a keen sense of smell and experience in front of the goal, but due to the high level of shooting and strong mental attributes, he can still score important goals at key moments. Therefore, portugal want to make a difference in the World Cup, must count on Cristiano Ronaldo, and this will be his last chance to compete for the Hercules Cup. However, because Portugal did not directly qualify for the World Cup, resulting in a low gear, in the group draw, it is likely to enter the group of death, the team's prospects are actually not optimistic.