Rome (AFP)

With a silent Cristiano Ronaldo at home in Turin, where the match had been relocated for health reasons, Portugal was satisfied with the bare minimum against Azerbaijan (1-0) Wednesday at the opening of the World Cup-2022 qualifiers .

Archi-domineering in the first period and rewarded with a goal offered by the Azerbaijani defense (Maksim Medvedev against camp, 36th), Portugal was less serene in the second period.

Azerbaijan, 108th in the FIFA world rankings, could have even, with a bit of success, snatch the feat against the reigning European champion.

CR7 will be almost 38 when the World Cup takes place in Qatar and, although he hasn't scored, he has shown that he intends to do what it takes to make his fifth World Cup.

We saw him attempt - in vain - returns (9th, 45th) and use his legendary trigger to place a few heads (22nd, 23rd), but like his team, he lost the thread a little after the break, even s 'he was still dangerous on two free kicks.

But no 103rd goal in the selection, to change their minds a little three days after a surprise defeat in the league with Juventus (0-1 against Benevento) on the same lawn, which weighed down the hopes of the Bianconeri scudetto.

With Ronaldo hungry and Bernardo Silva in charge, the first period resembled the training match that was expected before the start of serious things on Saturday in Serbia, despite a little too much rush and imprecision in the near the surface.

- Logical but cruel -

Azerbaijan, very low, was reduced to counting on the parades, not always Orthodox, of its guardian Shahruddin Mahammadaliyev.

But she ended up cracking after a big communication error: on a rather innocuous Portuguese center, the goalkeeper boxed but the ball rebounded directly on his captain and defender Maksim Medvedev to return to die in his goal (36th).

An ultra-logical opening of the score with regard to the Portuguese possession (75% at that time of the match), but cruel despite everything because the goalkeeper had made a very nice save a few seconds before.

At 1-0, Portugal probably believed the matter was well in hand and made the mistake of relieving the pressure.

The opportunity for Azerbaijan, much more biting after the break, to go out and even to achieve some pretty sequences which will bring hot situations on the cage of Anthony Lopes (50th, 60th, 70th).

It will take the entry into play of Joao Felix (75th) to allow Portugal to regain a little control of the match, without succeeding in scoring the second goal which would have simplified the end of the match.

© 2021 AFP