Tuesday October 16, 2012 1st Round: Group F Finished Estádio do Dragăo

Portugal 1 - 1 Northern Ireland

  • Hélder Postiga 79’
  • McGinn 30’

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  1. World Cup: Ronaldo frustrated as Northern Ireland hold Portugal

    World Cup: Ronaldo frustrated as Northern Ireland hold Portugal

    Northern Ireland held Portugal to a 1-1 draw in World Cup qualifying Group F after a heroic performance at Porto's Estadio do Dragao. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Portugal
    • Northern Ireland
    • 95' The ref blows his whistle and Northern Ireland pick up a point improbably and heroically.
    • 94' Varela's been dangerous down the flank. He beats his full-back, but the ball rebounds and goes out for a goal kick.
    • 93' Northern Ireland win a free kick, and take their time about taking it. They almost counter but are called for off-side.
    • 92' It's 11 men behind the ball for Northern Ireland now as they desperately try t contain wave after wave of Portuguese attacks.
    • 91' Moutinho plays it well down the right to Ronaldo, who puts in the cross. Portugal win a corner from Cathcart. Nothing comes of it, but Portugal continue their relentless pressure.
    • 90' Varela gets the ball on the left and puts in a fantastic ball into the box. Evans just makes the clearance.
    • 89' Ronaldo is shepherded well and can only tamely hit Carroll. We will have 5 minutes injury time.
    • 88' Portugal quickly press back on the attack through Nani, who fires powerfully and just over the frame of Carroll's goal.
    • 87' Varela picks up the rebound jist outside the area and hits a stinging shot at the side-netting. It's actually saved by Carroll, but the ref blows for a goal kick.
    • 87' Nani plays a nice ball to Veloso who picks it up down the left. Portugal win another corner.
    • 86' Starved of support, Lafferty attmepts to take on the entire Portuguese back four by himself. His efforts prove futile.
    • 85' Northern Ireland play their best stuff since the goal deep in Portugal's throw, but Lafferty is called for being offside.
    • 83' Portugal whip in a free-kick, Ronaldo is unfairly penalised for pushing in the area.
    • 82' Postiga feeds Varela down the right, who balloons his cross over despite Ronaldo waiting in the middle. Aaron Hughes picks up a yellow for time-wasting.
    • 81' Northern Ireland holding their nerve here as Portgual look for the winner. Ronaldo's looking to get involved all over the pitch as he attacks first down the left, then the right.
    • 81' Yellow card for Pepe
    • 80' Baird gets the ball in to Jonny Evans who heads over. But the atmosphere inside the stadium has racked up for Portugal now.
    • 78' And with that Postiga scores neatly on the turn to level things after neat work down the left from Portugal.
    • 77' The stadium sounds quiet now as Ronaldo gives the ball away, but there's still time for Portugal
    • 76' Northern Ireland have half a chance on the break as they shoot just over from a counter-attack.
    • 75' Postiga shoots sharply straight at Carroll as he turns well, but it's easy pickings for the keeper as Northern Ireland continue to hold the 3rd ranked team in the world.
    • 73' Attacking substitution for Portugal as striker Eder come son for right-back Pereira. A real sign of intent from them, and not before time.
    • 72' End to end stuff as both sides intercept the other's attacks, but neither side manages to create a chance from it.
    • 71' Portugal continue to pressure the Northern Irish box but to no avail
    • 70' Pepe plays a great ball down the middle to feed Ronaldo, who looks to be one on one for a moment, before Hughes gets back to tackle him
    • 69' Nani puts in a cross from the left, but again Carroll comes to claim. He's been his commanding best tonight.
    • 68' Lafferty forces Patricio to clear into the stands for a Northern Irish throw as Northern Ireland start to exert some pressure of their own.
    • 67' Nothing comes from the free kick, which is hoofed aimlessly into the Portuguese box.
    • 66' Norwood intercepts in the middle of the pitch and feeds C Evans, who wins a throw for Ireland. Lafferty then wins a free kick for Northern Ireland to ease the pressure.
    • 65' Portugal attempt to attack down the right with Pereira overlapping. But he's called for handball.
    • 64' Alves plays the pass of the match down the left, the ball is cut back to Postiga, who doesn't realise how much time he has and shoots tamely over.
    • 64' Northern Ireland win the throw jus tin their own half and give the ball straight back to Portugal. It's all they can manage at this stage.
    • 62' Northern Ireland again clear over their bar. Portuguese pressure mounting.
    • 61' Nani does brilliantly to put ina nother ball from the right flank across the face of goal. Portugal keep up the pressure as Amorin shoots from outside the area and Carroll saves well.
    • 60' SUB for Portugal: Micael for Varela
    • 60' Nani wins a corner off the Portuguese full-back.
    • 59' Portugal keep the ball well and are starting to look like they might be about to turn the screw. But Evans again gets in a postion to intercept the final ball.
    • 57' I almost spoke to soon as Nani puts in a nice cross along the deck for Ronaldo, who shoots powerfully at Carroll.
    • 56' Micael puts in a poor cross from the left over the Northern Irish back line. Northern Ireland seem happy to let Portugal in these wide positions, as they've so far failed to capitalise on any of them.
    • 55' Veloso plays a nice one-two before putting in a cross for Postiga, who was offside and headed dissapointly at Carroll anyway. Better from Portugal.
    • 54' Jonny Evans blocks another shot from Ronaldo. He's been everywhere tonight.
    • 53' Pepe shamefully hits the deck holding his face after minimal contact. The referee doesn't buy it.
    • 52' C Evans shows great energy to make a run out of nowhere and win a corner for Northern Ireland, as he's tackled at the last.
    • 51' Nani teases his full-back and puts in a cross, which again amounts to little. Northern Ireland attempt to counter through lafferty but the ball is intercepted.
    • 50' Portugal knock the ball around the Northern Irish area with ease, Ronaldo puts in a cross from the right but Carroll easily gathers it.
    • 49' Portugal substitution: Ruben Amorim (in) - Miguel Lopes (out)
    • 48' Micael shoots just over from outside the box. That's much better from him.
    • 47' Veloso plays a gorgeous ball down the right for Nani, but Jonny Evans again intercepts.
    • 46' The second half starts. Portugal win another corner, but it amounts to nothing more than a goal kick for Northern Ireland. As you were.
    • 45' Ronaldo's moved into the middle, looking to exert more influence onto the match. Pereira puts in a good cross for him, but it just goes out of play for another Carroll goal kick. Half-time.
    • 43' Nani puts in a corner that's easily caught by Carroll. Northern Ireland looking like they should hold on at least until the break.
    • 42' Ronaldo puts in a cross for Postiga, but the stiker is late arriving into the box and Carroll picks it up. Ronaldo does not look best pleased with his team mate's efforts.
    • 41' Jonny Evans again clears well ahead of Postiga to concede another corner. He's been a class apart so far.
    • 40' Nani attempts to cheekily pass through the legs of the Northern Irish left back. He and Ronaldo are swapping wings at will, but Northern Ireland continue to frustrate them.
    • 39' Baird does well to win possession in the middle. The ball finds its way to Lafferty down the right, who does well to win a throw
    • 38' Ronaldo puts in a cross from the right, McGivern almost concedes an own goal as he attempts to clear
    • 36' Pereira shoots narrowly wide from outside, though Carroll had it covered. Portugal are improving here.
    • 35' Nani beats two and thunders his shot over Evans. The ball comes back and Northern Ireland thunder a clearance off their own crossbar after a fine ball in from the right
    • 33' Hughes heads narrowly wide from Moutinho's corner, but the linesman gives Northern Ireland the goal kick
    • 32' Portugal continue to knock the ball around in the centre of the pitch, and this time win a corner.
    • 31' Postiga almost finds space in the Northern Irish area, but again the visitors get the block in.
    • 30' Baird trys an audacious chip from inside his own half, but Patricio just gets back in time to make the save.
    • 29' GOAL: McGinn finishes a fine break from Northern Ireland by chipping cooly over the keeper.
    • 28' Belgium have just put two past Scotland http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/world-cup/qualifying/belgium-scotland-463657.html
    • 27' Ronaldo attacks down the right this time. Nani heads across goal and Carroll tips over.
    • 26' Micael dives in two footed to concede a foul, but escapes further punishment. Evans attempts a lob from the resulting free kick.
    • 25' Northern Ireland continue to defend well from yet more Portuguese pressure. Nani appeals for a hand-ball to no avail.
    • 24' Nani over-hits another ball for Portugal. They need to show their class better than this if they want to get a result here.
    • 23' Veloso over-hits a free kick but Portugal keep possession down the right.
    • 21' McGivern attempts a long throw but it comes to nothing. Micael makes his second clumsy challenge in as many minutes. Northern Ireland get a shot on goal from the resulting free kick, but it's comfortably saved.
    • 20' Norwood is fouled in the centre of the pitch by Micael after Northern Ireland do well to win back possession.
    • 18' Great last ditch defending from Evans to just put the ball out for a corner. Pepe heads the resulting cross over the crossbar.
    • 17' Northern Ireland are passing the ball around for the first time tonight. Hughes overlaps and puts in nice ball fom the right. Patricio cuts out the cross.
    • 15' McGinn is doing a good job supporting the Northern Irish defence from yet more Portuguese pressure. He clears.
    • 14' Pereira trys to play in Nani down the right, but he over hits the pass and it goes out for another goal kick for Carroll
    • 13' Jonny Evans goes down injured but he's back on his feet now.
    • 12' Jonny Evans heads wide from the corner.
    • 11' Northern Ireland win their second corner after a counter-attack.
    • 10' Northern Ireland are doing a good job of forcing Portugal wide, Carroll is yet to have to make a save of note.
    • 9' Ronaldo puts in a cross down the left after a sweet ball from Pepe.
    • 8' Northern Ireland give the ball straigth back to Portugal from the goal kick. They're struggling to keep hold of the ball in these early stages.
    • 7 Nice interplay in the middle of the pitch from Nani and Moutinho, but it comes to nothing as Northern Ireland keep it tight.
    • 6' Nice footwork down the right from Nani to create space and put in the cross. Northern Ireland clear.
    • 5' Another short from outside the area by Ronaldo as he does well to create space for himself. This time he comes much closer.
    • 4' Nothing comes of it, but Portugal look nervous after their defeat to Russia.
    • 4' Lopes blatantly handles the ball outside the area. Northern Ireland free kick.
    • 3' Portugal concede the first corner after a poor back-pass from Pepe. The ball is cleared.
    • 2' Ronaldo shoots from miles out. Portugal look to be testing Carroll in these wet and windy conditions.
    • 1' Miguel lopes shoots from outside the area dangerously. Postiga almost gets on the end of it, but is flagged late for offside.
    • 1' Portugal get the action underway, and instantly concede possession. A scrappy start to the action.
    • 20:50 Ronaldo has just gleefully donned his 100th cap. His first was as a sub for Figo against Kazakhstan.
    • 20:48 The teams have just finished going through their respective national anthems. The Dragao looks a sea of green and red Portuguese scarves.
    • 20:44 So Michael O'Neill has opted for soldity in midfield at the expense of their link man, Shiels. No doubt hoping to limit his full-backs' exposure to Nani and Ronaldo in one-on-one situations.
    • 20:40 1,000 Northern Ireland fans have made the trip to Porto to support their team.
    • 20:39 PORTUGAL: Rui Patricio, Alves, Pepe, Miguel Lopes, Joao Pereira, Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Ruben Micael, Nani, Ronaldo, Postiga... Subs: Eduardo, Sereno, Luis Neto, Custodio, Ruben Amorim, Pizzi, Oliveira, Varela, Eder. /// NORTHERN IRELAND: Carroll, McGivern, Cathract, Evans, Baird, Hughes, S Davis, Evans, McGinn, Norwood, Lafferty... Subs: Mannus, Mcgovern, Hodson, Shiels, D Lafferty, McCourt, Carson, Healy, Grigg.
    • 20:32 Match odds: Portugal 1/12, Northern Ireland 28/1, Draw 8/1
    • 20:28 However, the two sides have historically been better matched: they have met eight times before in World Cup qualifiers and share an equal record; two wins each and four draws.
    • 20:26 The form book doesn't read encouragingly for Northern Ireland: Portugal have only lost one of their last 27 home World Cup qualifiers, winning 21 and drawing five. While Northern Ireland are now without a win in nine games in all competitions (D2 L7), and their only win in 18 (W1 D6 L11) was a 4-0 drubbing of minnows the Faroe Islands.
    • 20:16 Northern Irish manager, Michael O’Neill, is in bullish mood: "I would be happy if he (Ronaldo) has a really poor game and he is remembered for having a bad night on his 100th cap... Can we reduce his possession? Can we get men around him to make life difficult? Of course."
    • 20:11 Portuguese manager, Paulo Bento, had this to say on the occasion for his star player: “"I do not expect anything different from him (Ronaldo) because of the fact that he is getting his 100th cap. I know that is a figure very few players will reach but I don't foresee anything special because of that reason. What I expect from him is to integrate into the structure we have got and to show all of his ability and quality in the match”
    • 20:05 Northern Ireland will have been dissapointed to concede a late equaliser in their last group game, at home to Luxembourg, to tie 1-1.
    • 20:00 We are still awaiting team news. Portugal will be looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat on Friday in Russia. It's a big day for Cristiano Ronaldo as he looks set to pick up his 100th cap.
    • - Join us here for the pre-match build-up from 20:00 - kick-off here in Porto is at 20:45.

  • Summary

    • 78' And with that Postiga scores neatly on the turn to level things after neat work down the left from Portugal.
    • 70' Pepe plays a great ball down the middle to feed Ronaldo, who looks to be one on one for a moment, before Hughes gets back to tackle him
    • 35' Nani beats two and thunders his shot over Evans. The ball comes back and Northern Ireland thunder a clearance off their own crossbar after a fine ball in from the right
    • 29' GOAL: McGinn finishes a fine break from Northern Ireland by chipping cooly over the keeper.
    • 18' Great last ditch defending from Evans to just put the ball out for a corner. Pepe heads the resulting cross over the crossbar.

Team Line-up & Ratings

  • Portugal

    Manager: Paulo Bento

  • Northern Ireland

    Manager: Michael O'Neill

  • Line-up

    Live Team Line-Up

  • Rate Players

    Rate Players

    Please to rate the players.

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    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      4.5 -
      Defenders
      Substitution Out74′ 4.6 -
      Yellow Card 4.7 -
      5.1 -
      Substitution Out45′ 4.7 -
      Midfielders
      4.3 -
      Substitution Out61′ 4.4 -
      4.6 -
      Strikers
      5.4 -
      6.2 -
      Goal 5.4 -
      Subs
      Substitution In61′ 3.5 -
      Substitution In74′ 6 -
      Substitution In45′ 3.3 -
    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      7.3 -
      Defenders
      Yellow Card 6.9 -
      6.9 -
      8.5 -
      7.7 -
      Midfielders
      7.1 -
      7.8 -
      7.4 -
      7.3 -
      Strikers
      6.9 -
      Goal 8.3 -
      Subs

Comment 34 - 54 of 54

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  1. was no penalities to score this time, aye Ronnie!?

    From Hun, on Wed 17 Oct 21:23

  2. OMG! This Ronaldo is a #$%$ And lot of peoleps saying­ hes the best in the world! What a jioke they are! Just­ az CR/ with his haircut! an overhyped average player!

    From Hun, on Wed 17 Oct 21:21

  3. That's what I wanted, nice match, Northern Ireland!­ (Pepe yellow, what a surprise...)

    From GT, on Wed 17 Oct 15:07

  4. Diving Ronaldo flops again . The best player in the­ world my a*s !!

    From Tim13, on Wed 17 Oct 14:43

  5. Well done to NI pitty they didnt win-thank goodness­ someone is flying the British flag for football in the­ BI

    From Alistair, on Wed 17 Oct 13:47

  6. FortyMedals: Nothing wrong with Cork. My Great, Great­ Grandfather is from County Cork, nice place, nice­ people.

    From no-one-is-no-one, on Tue 16 Oct 23:36

  7. pepe stop acting and stop making negative comments­ against barcelona..pepe Number one actor in the­ world..hehehe

    From skie, on Tue 16 Oct 23:21
  8. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    To colin b.....the british part of Ireland has 6­ counties.....come on Ulster

    From B ALEXANDER, on Tue 16 Oct 23:19
  9. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    How much did the betting maffia paid you not to win­ this match, Portuguese guys?!

    From , on Tue 16 Oct 23:08

  10. A Great result for Northern Ireland!!

    From John, on Tue 16 Oct 23:07

  11. Well done!

    From S Ross, on Tue 16 Oct 23:05

  12. Don't care if im not welcome here, im from cork and­ im Irish, but well done Northern Ireland, fantastic­ result, one you should be proud of, The comments coming­ from both parts of Ireland are a joke these days, Once­ again, well done!

    From FortyMedals, on Tue 16 Oct 23:04

  13. mrs ladyboy Gaynaldo sucks and he knows it, VIVA MESSI­ THE AGAIN WINNER OF BALLON DO'R HAHA MADSHT AND­ GANALDO AND DEATH TP PEPE YHE DIVING ANIMAL

    From Amir, on Tue 16 Oct 22:59

  14. A dark day for Portuguese football...

    From peter, on Tue 16 Oct 22:55

  15. Pepe is threatical player. one player's hand just­ touch his neck but he acted as it touched his face..­ what a shame!!!

    From Jahin Khan, on Tue 16 Oct 22:54

  16. Pepe is great diver.....

    From Jahin Khan, on Tue 16 Oct 22:52

  17. well done northern ireland. shows what you can do when­ you have belief in yourself.

    From EVELYN, on Tue 16 Oct 22:47

  18. Bloody great performance from the Northern Ireland­ players.

    From no-one-is-no-one, on Tue 16 Oct 22:46

  19. Billybear Ulster has nine counties. Are you claiming­ the other three also or are they as you would think in­ a foreign land. If so think before you open your gob.

    From COLIN B, on Tue 16 Oct 22:32

  20. come on northern ireland

    From Mark, on Tue 16 Oct 22:32
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