Late Mitrovic header sends Serbia to World Cup at Ronaldo's expense

Serbia win 2-1 to top Group A qualifying to leave Portugal second and needing to navigate play-offs to reach Qatar 2022

Serbia forward Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates with teammates after scoring a last-gasp header for a 2-1 win over Portugal in 2022 World Cup qualifying Group A at the Luz Stadium in Lisbon, on November 14, 2021. AFP

Soccer Football - World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group A - Portugal v Serbia - Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal - November 14, 2021 Serbia's Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS / Pedro Nunes TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Portugal defender Ruben Dias fights for the ball with Serbia forward Aleksandar Mitrovic. AFP

Serbia's Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates. Reuters

Aleksandar Mitrovic of Serbia in action. Getty Images

Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio reacts after Serbia's Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring his side's second goal. AP Photo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, left, and Joao Felix react. AP Photo

Portugal's Joao Palhinha reacts after Serbia's Aleksandar Mitrovic scored their second goal. Reuters

Serbia's player Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates after scoring the winning goal against Portugal. EPA

Portugal's Nuno Mendes in action with Serbia's Aleksandar Mitrovic. Reuters

Portugal's forward Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification group A football match between Portugal and Serbia, at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, on November 14, 2021. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP)

Serbia defender Strahinja Pavlovic fights for the ball with Portugal's forward Cristiano Ronaldo. AFP

Serbia defender Uros Spajic heads the ball next to Portugal's forward Cristiano Ronaldo. AFP

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo reacts. AFP

Serbia's Nikola Milenkovic, top, duels for the ball with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo. AP Photo

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal heads the ball. Getty Images

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo fights for the ball with Serbia defender Milos Veljkovic. AFP

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo in action. EPA

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Danilo in action against Serbia's Milinkovic-Savic. EPA

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, left, talks with Serbia's Dusan Tadic. AP Photo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, left, speaks with Serbia's Filip Kostic at the end of the match. AP Photo

Portugal's forward Cristiano Ronaldo. AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo will have to navigate a play-off with Portugal to seal a spot at next year's World Cup after a last-gasp Aleksandar Mitrovic header gave Serbia a 2-1 win to see them top qualifying Group A and a place at Qatar 2022.

The victory saw Serbia take the group with 20 points, three more than second-placed Portugal who only needed a draw to finish top on goal difference and qualify but will now head into the March play-offs.

Half-time substitute Mitrovic beat home goalkeeper Rui Patricio with a downward header at the far post to spark wild celebrations on Serbia's bench after visiting captain Dusan Tadic had cancelled out an early Renato Sanches opener for Portugal.

Jubilant fans thronged central Belgrade, bringing traffic at the main Republic Square to a halt as they waved Serbian flags and hooted their car horns.

With Portugal's talismanic captain Ronaldo stifled, they produced little up front and midfielder Joao Palhinha conceded the home side were below par.

"We have to take responsibility because we had a poor game," he told Portugal's RTP television. "We just defended in the second half. Credit to Serbia, they played very well but we had the capacity to be on top.

"Everyone in the dressing room is disappointed but we have to look ahead to the playoffs now because we are more than good enough to be in the World Cup.

"You can't win all the time. Difficulties are part of life and this feeling should give us more strength."

Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic threw Mitrovic on for Gudelj and his gamble to deploy an extra forward for a defensive midfielder paid off as the Fulham striker, his country's all-time top scorer with 44 goals in 69 appearances, delivered.

It seemed Portugal would hang on after Mitrovic headed inches wide in the 85th minute but the striker had the last laugh as he pulled away from his markers at the death to head home after Tadic's cross from the right.

Mitrovic, whose winner extended his national goalscoring record to 44 goals in 69 matches, said Serbia's confidence ahead of the game was vindicated by a bold performance.

"We came here to play football and having been the better side, we earned it all," he told Serbia's Nova television.

"We are reaping the rewards of hard work and the belief that we would be able to defy the odds and beat Portugal. We are overjoyed, for our country and the people first and foremost.