There are officially 27 nations who have already qualified for World Cup 2022 as of this writing, which includes Portugal and Poland most recently.
Yes, the play-off finals in Europe delivered more drama as Portugal and Poland had to go through the wringer to get to where they’re at right now, making their qualifying journey as satisfying as it is.
While both Portugal and Poland are in a jubilant mood, the same can’t be said for Wales, Scotland, and Ukraine as tension builds with their matches being moved to a later date due to events beyond their control.
Continue to read down below as SBOTOP is here to keep you up-to-date with the latest World Cup 2022 news.
Bruno Fernandes shows up for Portugal
While all eyes are on Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of this game, it was his Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes who provided the spark for Portugal to confirm their spot at Qatar last night.
Bruno Fernandes put in an impressive display as his brace was enough to dispatch North Macedonia, who were looking to defy the World Cup 2022 odds once more after pulling off an upset against Euro 2020 champions Italy.
Portugal were primed to take over when Cristiano Ronaldo and Diogo Jota came close in the first few minutes, but it was Bruno Fernandes who landed the first blow two minutes after the half-hour mark.
Fernandes intercepted a bad pass and he conspired with Ronaldo via a one-two to drill a low strike past North Macedonia keeper Stole Dimitrievski.
In contrast, North Macedonia rarely troubled Portugal keeper Diogo Costa. But after the first half, they were slightly the more aggressive side.
Unfortunately for the visitors, they couldn’t find the equaliser and Bruno Fernandes delivered the dagger at the 65th-minute by linking up with Diogo Jota on another counterattack.
With the game out of reach, Portugal was content playing keep away to prevent any possible comeback from North Macedonia.
Bruno Fernandes have bagged a brace in an international game for only the second time ever since their 4-0 friendly against Israel last June 2021. His only competitive goals prior to North Macedonia came against Luxembourg.
Moreover, this will be the sixth consecutive World Cup for Portugal, who have qualified via the play-offs for the third time after 2010 and 2014.
Poland end their three-decade drought against Sweden
Poland booked their spot at World Cup 2022 with their first victory over Sweden since 1991, courtesy of second-half goals from Robert Lewandowski and Piotr Zielinski.
It was a cagey first half as both sides had a couple of chances. Sweden tried to hit first as Emil Forsberg was denied by Wojciech Szczesny while Matty Cash’s shot wide at the other end and Jan Bednarek’s volley was parried away by Robin Olsen.
After the first half, Poland decided to bring in substitute Grzegorz Krychowiak and the midfielder made an immediate impact when he was fouled into the penalty box by Jesper Karlstrom, leading to a converted penalty kick from Robert Lewandowski.
The Swedes pushed for an equaliser but they couldn’t find a way past Szczesny, who made another huge save against Emil Forsberg’s shot.
Those missed opportunities doomed the Swedes as they found themselves down by two goals when Piotr Zielinski spearheaded a counterattack and calmly put the ball into the net at the 72nd-minute.
Sweden made a curious move to bring in Zlatan Ibrahimovic – who missed their game against Czech Republic – off the bench to try and provide a spark up front, but it was already too late.
Robert Lewandowski was the happiest man last night as he’s on his way to his second-ever World Cup. At the same time, his 75th international goal moved him to joint third alongside the late Sandor Kocsis on the all-time UEFA international scorers list.
Ferenc Puskas (84) and Cristiano Ronaldo (115) are the only players who have more than the Bayern Munich striker.
Wales play the waiting game
There’s only one more European qualifiers spot available with only three teams left to fight for it. Scotland and Ukraine will compete in the Path A play-off semi-finals, and the winner will take on Wales.
Ukraine’s World Cup qualifier against Scotland has been postponed by FIFA following the Russian invasion into their country. Their play-off semi-final was due to be played at Hampden Park on March 24, but it is now moved until June.
Scotland and Wales have expressed support to this decision by FIFA as they await on the amended fixture schedule from the tournament committee.
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