© JumpStory
Without North Macedonia's sensation in Italy today, three more WC qualifying semi-finals took place. One of them saw Portugal go through quite a drama against the Turkish national team, but ultimately the 2016 European champions triumphed 3:1. After the first half, the Portuguese were comfortably leading 2-0 thanks to goals from Diogo Jota and Otavio. Both in the second half and in the first, Portugal created a lot of danger in front of the Turkish goal, but the opponents still managed to get back into the game. In the 65th minute, Burak Yilmaz reduced the result, and later he himself had a golden chance to equalize and extend the game. In the 85th minute, the Turkish captain stepped up to the penalty spot, but his shot only grazed the top of the goal.
During extra time, Matheus Nunes secured the victory in the match.
In the other matches, Wales beat Austria 2-1. The Welsh, confidently secured a spot in the WC qualifying final, thanks to Gareth Bale's mastery. In the 25th minute, the "Real" forward accurately converted a penalty, and in the 51st minute, he doubled the result after a pass from Ben Davies. In the 64th minute, Marcel Sabitzer reduced the score, but the Austrians could not find the equalizer.
Meanwhile, at home, Lithuania defeated the Czech national team 1-0 after extra time, still without their leader Patrick Schick. The decisive goal in the 110th minute after a beautiful combination with Alexander Isak was scored by Robonas Quaison.
