Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Ronaldo hat-trick sent Portugal to World Cup 2014


Portugal led 1-0 going into the second leg and dominated before Ronaldo's angled drive deservedly put them ahead.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic levelled on the night with a free header before he lashed in a free-kick as the hosts sensed an unlikely comeback in the tie.
But two quickfire goals from Ronaldo secured Portugal's place in Brazil.
The two-legged tie was billed by many as a battle between Ronaldo and Swedish counterpart Ibrahimovic for the right to showcase their supreme talents on the greatest stage of all next summer.
And the pair failed to disappoint as they became the central figures in a remarkable second half in Stockholm, where all five goals were scored in a 29-minute burst.
Sweden knew they needed to employ a more attack-minded gameplan on home turf after Ronaldo headed in a late winner in Friday's first leg in Lisbon.
But they barely threatened in a first-half performance which lacked quality and any notable opportunities for them to wipe out Portugal's slender advantage.
Erik Hamren's side did start briskly, with Martin Olsson and Alex Kacaniklic combining well down the left on several occasions.
However, they lacked a penetrative final ball and Portugal managed to ride out the pressure before gradually growing in the game, led by Ronaldo.

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