Sweet 16 for rampant Portugal
Al-Huriya News Agency - Portugal have cruised through to the last 16 at New Zealand 2015 after a thumping 4-0 win over Qatar at Hamilton's Waikato Stadium.
Winger Ivo was the star of the show, scoring two and setting up another as Helio Sousa's side weathered a torrential downpour to comprehensively outclass the Asian champions. Qatar, who must now win their final Group C match to stand a chance of qualifying, rarely threatened, although they did carve out the first chance of the match.
That came in nine minutes when Portugal keeper Andre Moreira unconvincingly gathered at the second attempt after Ahmed Alsadi had raced through on to an accurate long ball and shot weakly. Possession was dominated by the Europeans throughout but it took patience for their probing to pay off, with 34 minutes having elapsed before they took a deserved lead.
Andre Silva was the scorer, ghosting in unmarked to steer home an inch-perfect inswinging cross from Gelson Martins, who had drifted in cleverly from the right. It was a fine goal but nothing in comparison to the spectacular strike that doubled Portugal's lead soon after, as Ivo took centre stage.
Qatar's failure to clear their lines was punished in superb style, with the Vitoria Guimaraes youngster adjusting his body to meet Chico Ramos's looping header and sending an acrobatic overhead kick beyond the helpless Yousof Hassan. Ivo continued to shine as the match progressed and on 66 minutes doubled his tally, climbing powerfully at the back post to direct a downward header through the legs of Hassan.
And he wasn't done yet because, with 16 minutes remaining, the winger helped complete the rout with an impressive assist. Nice skill, along with a little luck, took him past his marker on the right and his cutback was swept first-time into the roof of the Qatari net by subsitute Joao Vigario.
Portugal can now plan for the Round of 16, while Qatar know that only a win against Senegal on Saturday will maintain their slim hopes.
