Portugal 1 - Sweden 0

Photo by Mike Hewitt

Sweden were visiting Portugal in Lisbon for the first leg of the most anticipated of all eleven qualifying series being played this month.  A Raul Meireles through ball beat the Swedish backline, but Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson forced Joao Moutinho wide, and he missed.  Sweden immediately responded with a chance of their own.  Mikael Lustig crossed from the right flank.  Johan Elmander threw his leg forward on a slide but could not redirect the ball on target.  Sweden came close again on twenty minutes when a dummy from Zlatan Ibrahimovic (pictured, yellow) gave Sebastian Larsson an open shot from sixteen yards out, but Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio was able to parry the ball aside on the dive.  The teams entered their dressing rooms tied at zero goals apiece.

On a crazy sequence inside the Swedish box, Portugal were somehow thwarted.  A cross in had put Pepe (pictured, red) in with a chance at goal.  He muffed his attempt, but Helder Postiga was in the area to clean up.  However, a punch from Isaksson knocked the ball off Postiga's chest.  A third weak shot was cleared away from danger by Lustig.  A cross from Miguel Veloso from the left flank of Portugal was put into the goal for the opener by Cristiano Ronaldo eight minutes form time.  Ronaldo executed a dangerous diving header, making contact ahead of the outstretched boot of Martin Olsson.  Ronaldo nearly scored another goal soon thereafter off a cross from Hugo Almeida, but this time the crossbar intervened to prevent the second goal.  Portugal win 1-0 and will take their slight lead into Sweden on Tuesday.

Goals
Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo 82

Match Reports:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/nov/15/portugal-sweden-world-cup-playoff
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24862472
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/worldcup/story/portugal-1-0-sweden-world-cup-qualifying-playoff-first-leg-match-report-cristiano-ronaldo-scores-winner-111513
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/11/15/3755828/portugal-beats-sweden-1-0-in-world.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=2224393/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_box_1

Highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMPXHReyhx0