Despite Cristiano Ronaldo entering the exclusive club of players with 100 national team caps, Portugal faced a challenging match against Northern Ireland in Porto, managing only a 1-1 draw.
Northern Ireland took the lead after an error from the Portuguese midfield, with Niall McGinn scoring in the 30th minute. Portugal struggled to break through the Irish defense due to imprecise and lackluster passing. They finally equalized around ten minutes from the end of the match through Hélder Postiga, who was set up by Nani in the small area (79th minute).
Despite the draw, Portugal missed an opportunity to capitalize on Russia’s defeat, losing ground in the race to lead Group F in the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup.
