On Saturday evening, the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup A group battles ended.
In Saint Petersburg, the national teams of New Zealand and Portugal clashed. The champions of the old continent easily defeated the representatives of Oceania and secured the first place, advancing to the semi-finals where they will face the second place team from group B.
The match started quite actively with New Zealand players, but Portugal, under higher speed, took control and Cristiano Ronaldo created two very dangerous opportunities with his head - first hitting the post, and later hitting the crossbar.
However, in the 33rd minute, the spectators saw the first goal, scored by the biggest star of the match, C. Ronaldo. The Real Madrid forward precisely struck from the penalty spot.
There was no need to wait long for another goal - in the 37th minute, after a great combination between Ricardo Quaresma and Eliseu, Bernardo Silva scored.
Portugal gained a solid advantage, and the New Zealand players failed to create anything exceptional until the end of the first half.
In the second half, the game was quite similar. In the 57th minute, the Oceanian champions had a great opportunity to reduce the gap, but Rui Patricio reacted to Chris Wood's shot.
In the 68th minute, the New Zealand goalkeeper made a fantastic reaction, saving Nani's shot, but in the 80th minute, Portugal finally scored their third goal - with a display of individual skill, Andre Silva defeated the opponents' goal.
Even the third goal in this clash was not the end - in stoppage time, Nani scored the final point, and Portugal secured a convincing victory in Group A, finishing in first place.
Results:
New Zealand 0 - 4 Portugal
33' [0 - 1] C. Ronaldo (penalty kick)
37' [0 - 2] B. Silva
80' [0 - 3] A. Silva
90+1' [0 - 4] Nani
#ConfedCup Group A is complete!
See you in the semi-finals, Portugal and Mexico! pic.twitter.com/zx6oarjiwV
The #NZLPOR #BUDMOTM, as voted for by the fans, is @Cristiano! #ConfedCup pic.twitter.com/ZUYQ4auVDX
