Portugal has taken a big step forward towards Brazil for playing the 2014 World Cup as they beat Sweden 1-0 at Lisbon. Portugal is now in a great position to qualify for the event that is scheduled to be held in Brazil few months time from now. Christiano Ronaldo scored the all important goal the hosts at the 82nd minute of the match to earn 
Portugal an important victory. He also hit the crossbar few minutes later at the 87th minute with a brilliant header. Had that ended at the back of the net Portugal would have felt much better. Nani with the captain’s armband had a great match as he consistently provided with brilliant crosses from the wing. Pepe played brilliantly in the defense to nullify any threats caused by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Raul Meireles also had a great match as he provided some defense splitting passes that could have resulted in goals. Henrik Larsson caught the eyes among the Swedish players.
Over all it was a clinical performance from the home team. The second leg is November 19 in Sweden. A 0-0 draw or even a 2-1 defeat will serve the job for Portugal. A 1-0 win for Sweden will see the second leg going into the extra-time. The tie is poised at very exciting situation. It can go either way in the next leg. The stage is set for an intriguing football match at Sweden.
Tags: 2014 World Cup qualifier Henrik Larsson Raul Meireles Ronaldo Sweden Zlatan Ibrahimovic
