LEIRIA, Portugal (AP) — Portugal is heading to the World Cup on the back of a 2-1 warmup win over Nigeria and some regrets for star striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 41-year-old Ronaldo failed to add to his men's-record international haul of 143 goals despite being presented with clear-cut chances with just the goalkeeper to beat in both halves in Leiria on Wednesday.
The five-time world player of the year was substituted off in the 65th minute, having been given longer on the field than every other outfield player to start the match for Portugal.
Ronaldo will be making his record-tying sixth appearance at a World Cup.
Francisco Conceição, one of the 11 replacements to come on for Portugal, grabbed the 75th-minute winner by cutting in from the right and curling a shot into the far corner.
Pedro Neto gave Portugal the lead in the 23rd. Akor Adams equalized for 14 minutes later for Nigeria, which had failed to qualify for the World Cup.
Portugal is in Group K at the World Cup with Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia.
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Learn how to make some of Jettywave Distillery’s most popular drinks as well as some classics. Read moreMixology 101: Cocktail Crafting
These days, life can feel like it has been turned upside-down. What was relied upon as norma… Read moreInspirational Talk - “A Spiritual Revolution: The Quest to Experience God”
Doug North Central said:
LaurieHietter said:
Thank you, Lisa. I hope all of San Mateo reads this letter. More people need to know.
Dirk van Ulden said:
LaurieHietter said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.