Cristiano Ronaldo stormed off the pitch after being denied a clear winner during the Serbia vs Portugal match in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The Portugal captain left the field moments before the final whistle after his injury-time goal was ruled out in a controversial manner in Serbia, who came back from two goals behind to hold the European champions to a 2-2 draw. The draw leaves Portugal second in Group A of the World Cup qualifiers. Both Portugal and Serbia are on four points after two games each but the latter are ahead on superior goal difference. FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers: Portugal Held to 2–2 Draw by Serbia.

Ronaldo was left fuming when his effort on goal was cleared by Serbia defender Stefan Mitrovic after the ball had crossed the line. But referee Danny Makkelie waved play on and with no VAR to intervene, Ronaldo and Portugal were denied a winner and three points on the night. Infuriated with the decision, Ronaldo had a heated conversation with the linesman and was booked. The Juventus forward then threw his captain’s armband and headed for the tunnel seconds before the final whistle. Take a look at the video of the incident.

Cristiano Ronaldo Robbed Off a Winner

Cristiano Ronaldo Storms Off the Pitch

A Diogo Jota brace had given Portugal the lead in the opening 45 minutes. But Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic pulled one back right at the start of the second half. That goal was Mirtovic’s 39th goal in 63 appearances for the national team and made the Fulham striker his country’s all-time top scorer. Filip Kostic then levelled the scores at the hour mark.

Serbia ended the game with 10 men after Nikola Kostic was shown a straight red card for a rash challenge of Danilo Pereira but they shared the spoils after a controversial climax to the match.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 28, 2021 09:19 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).