A sad and happy night in the World Cup preliminaries: Ronaldo gets red + Portugal 0-2, France 4-0 straight through, Mbappe 2 goals, Italy 2-0

In the early morning of November 14th, many focus matches in the European group stage of the World Cup preliminaries came to an end, and the ups and downs of the game were comparable to the drama of reversals. Portugal lost to Ireland 0-2 in an away game. Captain Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for a retaliatory elbow. The chance to qualify after a draw was in vain. France defeated Ukraine 4-0 at home. Mbappe scored twice with a penalty kick and scored twice, leading the team to secure the World Cup ahead of schedule. World Cup tickets; Italy defeated Moldova 2-0 but could not break through the deadlock, and needed to win by 9 goals in the final round to have a chance of passing through; England defeated Serbia 2-0 to end with a complete victory, Serbia completely missed the opportunity to directly advance, and the play-off spot was also in jeopardy.

Portugal VS Ireland (0-2) - low-level mistakes + loss of captain control, the initiative to qualify was handed over to

Portugal's away game against Ireland was originally a battle to secure the top spot in the group without taking risks. According to the group points rules, they only need to score 1 point to advance to the World Cup main game in advance. However, just ten minutes into the game, a fatal flaw appeared in Portugal's defense. After goalkeeper Diogo Costa caught the ball firmly in the penalty area, he made a low-level mistake and kicked the ball to the sideline in a panic, giving the Irish team a threatening corner kick opportunity.

The Irish team did not waste this gift. In the 17th minute, after the corner kick was taken, there was chaos in the penalty area. Parrott seized the second spot and calmly pushed the shot to break the deadlock. In the stoppage time of the first half, the Irish team got another good offensive opportunity. Parrott scored twice with a header in the penalty area and then followed up with a follow-up shot to expand the score to 2-0. The situation became increasingly tense in the second half, as Portugal's offense suffered repeated setbacks. In the 61st minute, Ronaldo was entangled by his opponent in a physical confrontation. He lost control of his emotions and turned around and made an elbow attack. The referee showed a red card after confirmation by VAR. His controversial gesture when leaving the field triggered ridicule from away fans. Although Portugal, with one less player to play, controlled the ball on the field, they lacked effective breakthroughs on the offensive end. Many of their passes were successfully cleared by Irish players, and they eventually lost their first defeat of this World Cup qualifiers 0-2.

After this battle, Portugal still ranks first in the group with 10 points, and Ireland has risen to third with 7 points. The originally unsuspecting qualifying situation has become confusing. As the core of the team, Ronaldo's lack of composure not only put the team into a numerical disadvantage, but also disrupted the overall tactical rhythm. His emotional management shortcomings in his advanced age became a key factor in Portugal's defeat.

France VS Ukraine (4-0) - Mbappe scored 3 goals, and the defending champion easily locked up the spot.

The French team faced Ukraine at home, which directly determined the top spot in the group. Before the game, the French team led with 10 points, followed by Ukraine with 7 points. This victory was crucial to both teams. In the first half of the game, although the French team took the initiative, the Ukrainian team's defense was well organized and successfully intercepted the French team's wing breakthroughs many times. Several of Mbappe's inward shots were also saved by the goalkeeper, and the half-time score remained at 0-0.

After the halftime break, the French team's tactical adjustment had an immediate impact. In the 55th minute, Olise was tripped by his opponent when breaking through the penalty area, and the referee decisively awarded a penalty kick. Mbappe showed great confidence when taking the penalty, and a freehand lob shot passed the goalkeeper. The ball fell steadily into the middle of the goal, and the French team led 1-0. In the 76th minute, Mbappe took the ball on the left side of the penalty area and accurately divided the ball. Olise followed up and cut in to score, expanding the score to 2-0. In the 83rd minute, the French team made a pass from the wing, and Mbappe scored twice with a complementary shot in the penalty area. The 3-0 score basically sealed the victory. In the 88th minute, Mbappe once again sent a wonderful pass, and Ekitic scored in the penalty area. In the end, the French team defeated their opponent 4-0.

This victory allowed the French team to secure first place in the group one round ahead of schedule with a record of 13 points in 5 rounds, and successfully obtained a ticket to the World Cup. Mbappé contributed perfect statistics of 2 goals and 1 assist in the game. Whether it was his calmness in penalty kicks or his organization in attack, he showed the strength of the world's top superstars. The tactical adjustments after the half-time break caused the Ukrainian defense to completely collapse, revealing the solid foundation of the defending champion.

Italy VS Moldova (2-0) - A decisive victory but in desperate situation, a 9-goal counterattack is almost a luxury

The last European Cup champion Italy team, the road to qualifying for the World Qualifiers is full of thorns. In the away game against Moldova, they must win to retain the faint hope of directly advancing. After the game started, Moldova deployed a 5-4-1 intensive defensive formation. Although the Italian team firmly controlled possession of the ball, it was always difficult to find an effective way to score in the face of the opponent's tight defense.

In the first half, the Italian team tried many times to penetrate the center and pass from the side, but they were all stubbornly intercepted by Moldovan players. The goalkeeper even made many wonderful saves to keep the Italian team's shots away. In the second half, the Italian team's offense became more and more impatient, with frequent mistakes in passing and cutting. The coach on the sidelines kept waving his hands to adjust tactics, but was still unable to break the deadlock. Until the 88th minute, Dimarco broke through from the right and sent a high-quality cross. Mancini jumped high in the penalty area and headed the ball into the top. The ball hit the dead corner and scored, 1-0! In stoppage time, Politano made a pass from the right, and Pio followed up with a header to score, setting the score at 2-0.

However, this victory did not improve Italy's qualifying situation. The Norwegian team in the same group beat Estonia 4-1, with a goal difference of 29 goals, while the Italian team currently has a goal difference of only 12 goals, and the two teams are 3 points apart. In the final round of direct confrontation, the Italian team needs to beat the Norwegian team by at least 9 goals to go straight to the World Cup with a goal difference. Such a gap almost made it impossible to qualify directly. Although this decisive victory temporarily relieved the pressure, it also exposed the Italian team's old problems of low offensive efficiency. It was difficult to achieve a goal difference against the weak teams. The counterattack in the final round was an impossible task..

England VS Serbia (2-0) - A complete victory, Serbia's play-off spot is in jeopardy

The England team, which has already secured the top spot in the group, still showed strong dominance in the home game against Serbia. In the 28th minute, the England team penetrated through the middle and tore apart the Serbian defense. Saka quickly cut inside after receiving a through ball from his teammate. He calmly pushed the shot into the far corner from the front of the penalty area and opened the scoring for the team, 1-0!

In the following games, the England team controlled the rhythm of the field, passing the ball smoothly and with great penetration. Although the Serbian team wanted to launch a counterattack, it lacked effective connection on the offensive end, and many attempts to counterattack were successfully intercepted by the English team. In stoppage time, Eze received the ball from his teammate outside the penalty area and without hesitation shot a long shot. The ball hit the dead center of the goal like a cannonball, sealing the victory for England. In the end, it easily scored 3 points 2-0 and ended the World Cup qualifying group stage with a complete victory in the group.

After the Serbian team lost this game, it ranked third in the group, 1 point behind the second-placed Albania team. With only one round left, it not only completely lost the qualification to directly qualify for the World Cup, but also faced fierce competition for the play-off spots. In addition, the Albanian team was away to challenge Andorra. In the 67th minute of the second half, Aslani received an assist from his teammates and scored, eventually winning 1-0 and further consolidating the second place in the group.

On this night of the World Cup preliminaries, the most embarrassing thing was Cristiano Ronaldo's loss of control and Italy's desperate situation. Cristiano Ronaldo's red card was not only an outburst of personal emotions, but also the powerlessness of an aging superstar in the face of declining competitive status. As the captain of the team, his lack of calmness brought irreparable losses to the team; and the Italian team's buzzer-beater seemed to boost morale, but in fact it could not hide the weakness on the offensive end. The 9-goal gap made direct qualifying a luxury.

The solid performances of the French and English teams have confirmed the solid foundation of traditional strong teams. Mbappe's continued outburst has given France confidence to defend its title. The battle for qualifying in the European region has not yet ended. Whether Portugal can stabilize its position in subsequent matches, and whether Italy can break the curse in the play-offs, these suspense will continue to affect the hearts of fans.

Do you think Portugal can successfully secure a spot in the World Cup? Can Italy still perform miracles? Feel free to leave your predictions in the comment section.