Portugal 2-0 North Macedonia: 5 Hits and Flops as Bruno Fernandes brace takes Selecao to Qatar | FIFA World Cup Playoff Final 2022

Portugal beat North Macedonia 2-0 at the Estadio do Dragao to secure their place in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Portugal looked like the better team from the starting whistle in their playoff final against North Macedonia, who defended with everything they had. They showed the same grit when they played Italy last week until Stefan Ristovski made a huge blunder.

The Macedonian captain misplaced a pass at the back that landed Bruno Fernandes' way, and the midfielder made no mistake. He got hold of that misplaced pass and scored the first goal after a one-two with Cristiano Ronaldo. Fernandes then doubled his team's advantage in the second half to confirm A Selecao's place at the FIFA World Cup 2022.

On that note, here's a look at the five hits and flops from either team in the game:

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#5 Hit: Pepe (Portugal)

Pepe had a solid game for Portugal.

Pepe had an exceptional game at the back for the hosts. He showed what the hosts missed in their previous game. The former Real Madrid star rolled back the years and played his heart out.

He won all of his six duels, made six recoveries, won three tackles, made three clearances, completed the most passes (77) and made one interception in the game. The 39-year-old led by example at the back. A Selecao will be a force at the back in Qatar with Pepe and Ruben Dias leading their backline.

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#4 Flop: Stefan Ristovski (North Macedonia)

Stefan Ristovski's error proved to be quite costly.

Stefan Ristovski had a game to forget. The Macedonian captain made a huge error that led to the opening goal of the game. Ristovski's attempted pass at the back was latched on by Fernandes, allowing him to combine with Ronaldo before scoring.

Ristovski also struggled on numerous occasions against Nuno Mendes, who kept the pressure on every time he advanced higher up the pitch. Apart from the occasional jitters, Ristovski had a decent game but it was not good enough to undo the damage done.

#3 Hit: Joao Moutinho (Portugal)

Joao Moutinho had a calming presence in the centre.

Joao Moutinho had a great game in the center of the park. The 35-year-old kept things ticking for Portugal as he tied the attack with defense and eased the transitions. Moutinho orchestrated the game for the hosts, and his presence allowed Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva to advance high up the pitch.

Moutinho won six duels, made four recoveries, won two tackles, made three interceptions and completed 52 passes with a deadly accuracy of 95% during his stay on the pitch.

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#2 Flop: Milan Ristovski (North Macedonia)

Milan Ristovski was a no-show against Portugal. The 23-year-old was taken off in the 46th minute of the game in favor of Bojan Miovski. Ristovski had just 11 touches in the 45 minutes he played.

Ristovski was completely isolated up front, with Pepe and Danilo Pereira doing a great job keeping him alone. Neither did he have a shot on goal, nor did he create anything going forward. Coach Blagoja Milevski had no choice but to replace Ristovski after his disappointing first-half performance.

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#1 Hit: Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)

Bruno Fernandes made all the difference.

Bruno Fernandes had a night to remember. He scored a brilliant brace to send his nation to the FIFA World Cup. The Manchester United star latched onto an error by Ristovski for Portugal's first goal of the game. He combined beautifully with Ronaldo before tucking the ball past Stole Dimitrievski.

Fernandes' second goal of the game was even better. The 27-year-old smashed home a volley following a great pass from Diogo Jota. Apart from that, he won four duels, made seven recoveries, intercepted the ball once, created four chances and won one tackle during the game.

It was one of the best performances of his international career thus far.