Portugal defeated Turkey to keep their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup alive.

Portugal defeated a tenacious Turkey side 3-1 in their UEFA World Cup playoff semifinal to keep their hopes alive of reaching the final in Qatar at the end of the year.
With both sides facing a win-or-go-home situation, Otavio, a 27-year-old Porto forward, pounced on a rebound from Bernardo Silva's shot as it caromed off the post and into his path to give Portugal an early lead.

Otavio then set up Portugal's second goal with an out-swinging
cross that Diogo Jota headed beyond Ugurcan Cakir to give Fernando Santos' side a 2-0 half-time lead.

Turkey, however, was undeterred by the two-goal deficit and cut the hosts' lead in half on 65 minutes when Burak Yilmaz finished off a neat give-and-go with Cengiz Under to bring his team right back into the game.

After a pitchside review suggested Jose Fonte fouled Enes Unal in the area, VAR gave Turkey a great chance to tie the score from the penalty spot, but Yilmaz skied his effort over the crossbar as Portugal held on to their lead.

In second-half stoppage time, Matheus Nunes put Portugal's anxieties to rest, beating Cakir on the tail end of a beautiful move to assist his side advance to their respective playoff final.

Santos told reporters, "I wasn't disappointed with the team, but we played with fire today." "We were in command of the game, but it was slowing down. Obviously, the players are not robots; we didn't manage to score a 3-0 victory, and things like that may happen in football. But I'm delighted we handled the situation so nicely. It was possible that that moment [the penalty] would be difficult for us."

On Tuesday, Portugal will meet North Macedonia for a place in the 2022 World Cup. North Macedonia stunned Italy with a 1-0 win in one of the day's other semifinals.

"We need to treat North Macedonia with the same respect that we treat Italy," Santos added.


"As I previously stated, those games are not a joke; they are like a final, and anything may happen. You must approach it with the utmost intensity and concentration. It is unnecessary to introduce a team that travels to Italy and defeats the European champs."

On Portugal's forthcoming opponents, goalkeeper Nunes mirrored his manager's comments.

Nunes remarked, "We can't think it'll be simple against North Macedonia." "Now we must rest and prepare for the game. It's a group that deserves all of our admiration. They went to Italy and won; quality is required to do this."