LISABON -- Portugal failed to ensure that they competed in the 2022 World Cup sooner. Cristiano Ronaldo failed to top Group A and had to play a two-round play-off to win a ticket to Qatar, at the end of next year. The reason is that Portugal lost 1-2 when they hosted Serbia at the Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Monday (15/11) early morning WIB. Even though the Selecao das Quina only need a minimum result when they host Serbia in Lisbon.

Portugal seems to be smiling when the final whistle sounded. Because Renato Sanches broke into the Serbian goal when the game was not even two minutes. However, the advantage came off after Dusan Tadic scored in the 33rd minute. Portugal, who was preparing to celebrate success, finally had to bow. Aleksandar Mitrovic scored in the 90th minute to ensure Serbia won Group A and qualified for Qatar.

There are a number of records of this Portugal failure. Here are some of them, quoted by Marca.

Fernando Santos failure

Portugal coach Fernando Santos presented two historic trophies for Portugal namely the 2016 European Cup and the 2019 UEFA Nations League. However, he has received a lot of criticism for the team's recent performances both at the last European Cup and in the qualifiers.

Portugal is still playing defensively and it is difficult to score goals. Even though they have a fertile striker in Ronaldo. At Euro 2020, Portugal was defeated in the round of 16 by Belgium. Thorgan Hazard's goal stopped Ronaldo et al.

The defeat to Serbia made Santos bear the big responsibility of getting Portugal to the World Cup. As one of the seeds, Portugal is likely to avoid Italy or other tough teams that have the potential to tackle them. However, the teams that qualify cannot be underestimated. Of the 12 teams that qualified for the play-offs, only three qualified for Qatar. You can imagine the pressure Portugal is facing.

Santos was asked to leave the pragmatic style of football that he maintained after winning the 2016 European Cup. Even though Portugal had talented players, he failed to maximize it.

Ronaldo is inconsistent

The same problem also seems to be faced by Ronaldo at club level. In important matches against tough teams, Ronaldo sometimes struggles to show his sharpness. This makes Manchester United also in trouble in the English Premier League.

Bruno Fernandes is gloomy with the national team

While he was expected to stand out at Euro 2020 and World Cup qualifiers, Fernandes failed to live up to expectations. His performance was not like the standout Manchester United. Santos also often uses Fernandes as a substitute.

Against Serbia, Fernandes only played 26 minutes. But almost no contribution from Fernandes. He has only played the full 90 minutes in two of his 11 official matches for Portugal in 2021.

Unlike when he was at United, he scored 44 goals in 96 games in his first 21 months at Old Trafford. It is not clear whether this is the midfielder's fault or Santos' inability to formulate the right strategy and formation to maximize Fernandes.

Fragile Defense

Talented players are not given a chance

Portugal is actually not just Cristiano Ronaldo, Digo Jota, or Bruno Fernandes. There were Goncalo Guedes, Pote, Andre Silva, and Joao Felix who appeared promising with their respective teams. Unfortunately, they were barely given a chance to prove their talent in Portugal. Including against Serbia. Joao Felix, for example, was only included at the end of the second half.