LEÃO'S PORTUGAL THROUGH TO THE WORLD CUP
Internationals
On a Serie A-free Sunday, the international break delivered another key result: Portugal have secured their place at the 2026 World Cup, thanks to a resounding home victory, beating Armenia 9-1 to seal top spot in Group F (13 points from six matches). Rafael Leão started and played until the 56th minute, not managing to score but impressing as part of an excellent team performance.
It was a night to forget for Italy, beaten 4–1 at San Siro by Norway and now forced into the play-offs after slipping to second place in Group I (18 points). Matteo Gabbia remained on the bench, while Samuele Ricci featured only for the final 10 minutes. France, already assured of their ticket to Canada, Mexico and the USA, still came away with a 3–1 win over Azerbaijan in Baku. Mike Maignan was rested, while Christopher Nkunku produced a strong display for an hour and scored what looked like the team’s second goal (but was later ruled out by VAR for handball). Strahinja Pavlović played the first half of Serbia's win over Latvia (2–1 in Leskovac), but the victory was bittersweet, offering no real hope of changing the outcome of their campaign, with elimination already sealed.
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