In the highly anticipated clash between Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the promises were kept as Portugal secured a 1-0 victory over Sweden in the first leg of the 2014 World Cup play-offs.
The decisive moment came in the 82nd minute when Cristiano Ronaldo delivered the much-needed goal, a header from a teammate’s pass. This breakthrough energized the Swedes, who made attempts to equalize, but Ibrahimovic and his team couldn’t find the back of the net before the final whistle.
CR7 emerged victorious in the first leg over Ibrahimovic, setting the stage for an exciting second leg on Tuesday. Ronaldo acknowledged the significance of his goal, stating, “It’s an important goal, which gave us the victory. We could have scored one or two more goals, but this advantage gives us confidence for the next match. Nothing is done. We’re still 50/50.”
Remaining humble, Ronaldo didn’t make promises of qualification but expressed his commitment to giving their best in the upcoming match in Sweden. The narrow advantage has given Portugal confidence, and the return leg promises to be a closely contested battle between these two football titans.
