Portugal’s World Cup qualifier against Serbia in Belgrade ended in controversy as the visitors were denied a winner they thought had crossed the line.
Fernando Santos’ side went into the break two goals to the good after Diogo Jota‘s double, though Serbia were able to come back in the second half.
Goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic and Filip Kostic had tied the game in the first 15 minutes of the second period, leaving the result hanging in the balance.
The hosts were reduced to ten men in stoppage time when Nikola Milenkovic was sent off for a challenge on Danilo Pereira, but it didn’t end there.
Moments later, Cristiano Ronaldo connected with a long ball over the top and guided a shot past Eibar’s Marko Dmitrovic towards goal.
Defender Stefan Milinkovic slid to clear the ball away, though replays showed that the ball had perhaps crossed the line before he made contact with it. Bernardo silva met the rebound but saw his shot blocked by Mitrovic on the line again.
The final whistle sounded seconds later, with Ronaldo in disbelief over the decision not to give the goal. He disappeared down the tunnel after throwing his captain’s armband to the ground in disgust.
Having both won their opening games in the group, Serbia and Portugal move on to four points each in World Cup qualifying.
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