As reported by Africa Top Sports, the highly anticipated clash between Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic lived up to expectations, ultimately favoring CR7 as Portugal secured a 1-0 victory over Sweden in the first leg of the 2014 World Cup play-offs.
The decisive moment for Portugal came in the 82nd minute when Cristiano Ronaldo netted a crucial goal with a header from a teammate’s pass. The goal spurred the Swedes into action as they attempted to equalize, but Ibrahimovic and his team remained silent until the final whistle.
In the first leg, it was CR7 who emerged victorious over Ibrahimovic, setting the stage for an eagerly awaited second leg on Tuesday.
While acknowledging the importance of his goal, Cristiano Ronaldo remained cautious about the overall outcome, 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. Sweden is a good team, but we will play on their pitch with a small advantage. The result is good, but it could have been better. This encourages us. I’m not promising qualification, but I’m committing to doing everything we can.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic also shared his perspective, saying, “I think we came here to create difficulties in Portugal. This is what we did until the second period. We lost a goal but there is still one match to play, and it will be at home. I hope we will do better than today, but it won’t be easy because, as I already said before the match, Portugal are favorites. They play great football and they have great players. Losing 1-0 is always better than losing 2-0…”
The stage is set for an intense return match, promising more thrilling moments and uncertainty.
