After beating Turkey 3-1 at the Estadio do Dragao on Thursday night, Portugal is just one game away from reaching the final in Qatar. Goals from Otavio, Diogo Jota and Matheus Nunes sealed a tough victory for the winners of the 2016 European Championship, which means they are now on the verge of reaching the sixth consecutive World Cup. However, they must find a way to overcome a determined and optimistic team of Northern Macedonia that surprised Italy in its own semifinal on Thursday, winning 1-0. Aleksandar Trajkovski won a great victory in the 92nd minute to seal a shock victory over the current European champions and let them think they will lose a second consecutive World Cup. READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo admits international future While Portugal will have a home advantage, with more than 50,000 Portuguese voices expected to fill the air of Porto, Ronaldo has made a special appeal shortly before the start. He wants the national anthem to be sung loudly and proudly without music, suggesting that he wants the Portuguese passion to be in the spotlight to help him and his teammates cross the line. “I wish the anthem was sung on the pitch without music,” Ronaldo said. “This will show our determination and spirit. If they sing it like they did on Thursday, then I’m sure we will win.” Portugal lost the automatic qualifier to the Qatar tournament by three points, losing the last group match to Serbia. However, despite suffering such a belated blow in their bid to reach the finals, Ronaldo insists that confidence in the team is high – but has warned his team-mates that Northern Macedonia will face a severe test. The captain of Portugal continued: “The team is very confident and we are excited for the final. This is the game of our lives, as it is with Northern Macedonia. “The pressure is always there for us and we know it will be very difficult – Northern Macedonia is in this game because it deserves it. “They are very well organized and we will respect them, but if we play at our level then we can beat any side in the world.” Subscribe to the United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.
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