Iran Press/ Europe: Football has shown us time and time again that sometimes the most difficult paths are the ones that lead us to the most desired outcomes,” Ronaldo said on Instagram on Monday.
Portugal missed out on the top spot in Group A on Sunday evening, suffering a shock 2-1 home defeat to Serbia in Lisbon. Both sides entered the winner-takes-all contest on 17 points, with Portugal knowing that a draw would have been enough to see them automatically qualify for the tournament on goal difference.
That was enough to secure the top spot in Group A for Serbia, securing their passage to their second consecutive World Cup.
For Portugal, they must now enter the play-offs next March, with only three of the 12 teams involved in that mini-tournament reaching the finals in Qatar.
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