Portugal have a 100% record ahead of their Group F qualifier against Ireland, and Fernandes has expressed the emotion he and his teammates are feeling ahead of the tournament.
Portugal's journey to the World Cup
Portugal is on track to qualify for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. He has had a perfect start to the campaign and sits top of his group after winning his first two matches, scoring eight goals and conceding two. He won a crushing 5-0 victory over Armenia and then a hard-fought 3-2 win over Hungary. They will then face the Republic of Ireland in their next match.
The return of Ronaldo, the record holder of records
Ahead of the Ireland match, Fernandes told Channel 11 : “We have to take matters into our own hands, even though we know we want to reach the World Cup as quickly as possible. Our main goal is to win every match, and we are focused on that, knowing that the World Cup dream is still there. Since I was little, I have dreamed of winning the World Cup, and it is not only my dream, it is the dream of all Portuguese people. “We’ll do everything we can to get there first, and then we’ll do everything we can to make that dream come true.”
In response to rumors regarding his participation in the World Cup, Ronaldo indicated his intention to continue playing for Portugal and Al-Nassr, expressing his desire to remain on the national scene. He also stated that his intention was to continue playing for many years to come, as long as he continued to perform for his club and country, saying: ” Why stop now? » He admitted that he only had “a few years left in the field”, but that he wanted to “fully savor every moment”. Ronaldo stressed the importance of focusing on the present, saying: “We live day by day, without long-term planning.” He also spoke about the immediate goal of winning the upcoming qualifiers to move closer to qualifying for the World Cup and added: “I always dream of a World Cup with Portugal, it’s possible. »
The Republic of Ireland's World Cup hopes are already hanging by a thread. They are currently bottom of Group F having conceded just one point from their first two matches, a 2-2 draw at home to Hungary, after trailing by two goals. This defeat was followed by a disappointing 2-1 away loss to Armenia. Regarding Ireland, Fernandes said: “ We face a very strong team physically, very capable in duels, who defend with a lot of players behind the ball. We will have to be patient with the ball and know how to find the right spaces, but we are ready, especially because we have worked well this week. It will be a tough game, like all the others we've had, but we were capable and we must be capable again. »
