Portugal see off Serbia to top Group I
Fábio Coentrão scored the decisive goal as the hosts won for the third successive match to move to the top of Group I.
Portugal set the pace in Group I after their third straight victory
• Ricardo Carvalho heads the hosts in front in Lisbon
• Nemanja Matić's spectacular overhead kick briefly brings Serbia level
• Fábio Coentrão's clincher earns Portugal their first success over Serbia
• Next qualifiers: Armenia v Portugal, Denmark v Serbia (13 June)
• Ricardo Carvalho heads the hosts in front in Lisbon
• Nemanja Matić's spectacular overhead kick briefly brings Serbia level
• Fábio Coentrão's clincher earns Portugal their first success over Serbia
• Next qualifiers: Armenia v Portugal, Denmark v Serbia (13 June)
Portugal saw off Serbia in Lisbon to establish themselves at the top of UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group I after making it three wins in a row.
Since beginning with a home defeat by Albania, Portugal have found their feet and their positive run continued as Ricardo Carvalho headed in an early opener. Nemanja Matić's spectacular volley brought Radovan Ćurčić's team momentarily level, but Fábio Coentrão decided matters moments later to give his side their first victory against Serbia at the third attempt.
Serbia had won just one of their previous seven competitive away games and their chances of improving that record took a quick hit. Ten minutes in, Portugal's short corner worked space for Coentrão to swing in a cross from the right that Carvalho helped on its way with his head.
The visitors were almost level when Dušan Tadić found room on the edge of the area, but his drilled low shot zipped past the base of the right post. Cristiano Ronaldo was a menace to the Serbian defence and almost doubled the home advantage before half-time, yet his dipping effort from nearly 30 metres was tipped over by a full-stretch Vladimir Stojković.
An excellent Matija Nastasić intervention prevented Nani converting a cross at the front post soon after the interval, before Aleksandar Mitrović wasted an excellent opportunity to level, hammering a header over from an ideal Tadić delivery. Serbia did equalise on 61 minutes with a brilliant strike. Radosav Petrović flicked on Aleksandar Kolarov's corner and Matić gracefully sent a superb overhead kick past Rui Patrício at the back post.
Parity was short-lived, though, courtesy of João Moutinho who teased a perfect centre through the Serbia box, enabling the onrushing Coentrão to tap in at the back post. And although Patrício was forced to repel a Petrović volley, Fernando Santos's men saw things out to the Lisbon crowd's delight.
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