Serbia vs. Portugal: Score and Reaction from Euro 2016 Qualifier

Portugal confirmed their status as one of Euro 2016’s seeded teams on Sunday, as they continued their excellent form with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Serbia.

Fenerbahce winger Nani scored the opening goal of the game with just five minutes on the clock, and although Zoran Tosic pulled a goal back for the hosts, Joao Moutinho’s late stunner gave Portugal all three points.

A bad day was made worse for Serbia after Nemanja Matic was handed a straight red card for a terrible tackle on Andre Andre just after Moutinho’s goal, while Aleksander Kolarov was also sent off despite having already been substituted.

Portugal had to go without main man Cristiano Ronaldo for their trip to Serbia after he was given time off, via Squawka, yet they still sprung out of the traps.

Nani, who was given the armband in his former Manchester United teammate’s absence, had Portugal in front almost immediately, as he capped a flowing move to tap his side in front.

Danny did well to accelerate away from two defenders in the build-up, only to see his shot saved by Vladimir Stojkovic—but Nani was on hand to fire into the roof of the net.

Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press

However, all that seemed to do was wake Serbia from their slumber, and it wasn’t long before they were knocking on the door looking for an equaliser.

Dusan Tadic completely fluffed his lines in front of goal after the ball was squared across by Tosic, and it was then the CSKA Moscow’s man’s chance to go close as he drove the ball just wide.

Adem Ljajic and Aleksander Mitrovic also had chances before the interval, while the latter had a strong appeal for a penalty turned down.

Portugal went into the break 1-0 to the good, but the warning signs were very much there.

Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press

And when Mitrovic had a goal disallowed 10 minutes into the second half, the Portuguese were quaking in their boots.

Their resistance was finally broken with 65 minutes on the clock, as Kolarov’s gorgeous low cross found Tosic in space, and he slammed the ball home first time to level it up.

However, as the hosts pressed for a winner, they were caught cold by a moment of magic from Moutinho.

The ball found its way to the Monaco man on the edge of the box with 12 minutes remaining, and he curled it delightfully in the corner to mark his second goal in as many games—journalist Jan Hagen reflected on the stunning finish:

The goal was totally against the run of play, and that seemed to rile the Serbians.

In fact, they completely lost their heads.

First, Kolarov—who was arguably the best player on the pitch—was sent to the dressing room for dissent after being substituted, before Matic’s lunge on Andre was deservedly punished with a red card.

Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press

Still, take nothing away from Portugal, who did a real job on the Serbians.

Their victory means that they’ll be one of the seeded teams in Euro 2016, where smash-and-grab wins like Sunday night’s will be priceless.

Either way, it was a case of no Ronaldo, no problem in Serbia. The win marks seven on the spin in competitive fixtures for Portugal, who go into the summer tournament in ideal form.

Reaction

Following the match, Portugal manager Fernando Santos hailed the impact of the matchwinner Moutinho, who gave the boss the perfect 61st birthday present—as reported by Four Four Two:

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In the phase when Serbia had us under a lot of pressure, Moutinho came on and brought great perception to the team. He was not in shape to start the game. He told me he could play 20 to 25 minutes and he came on at the right time. It's always important to finish first and be seeded in the draw for Euro 2016. It was a gift I wanted for my birthday.

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