With their opponents playing uncomfortable in the first half of the first half, Portugal had to wait until the 26th minute to have the first dangerous opportunity. After Quaresma's cross, Ronaldo headed the ball into the crossbar of the New Zealand goal.
Seven minutes later, CR7 opened the score. Danilo was fouled by the opposing player in New Zealand's penalty area and Ronaldo did not miss the penalty spot opportunity.
Portugal doubled the gap in the 37th minute. Man City rookie Bernardo Silva correctly cushioned the ball after a cross from his teammate. 2-0 was an advantage for Coach Fernando Santos's team after the first half.
The second half's situation was still under control of the reigning EURO champions. The clear difference in class has caused New Zealand to not create many opportunities even though they want to score. The most notable contribution they created in this match was Wood's kick that Bruno Alves cleared right on the goal line.
It was not until the 80th minute that the audience celebrated the goal. Andre Silva confidently dribbled the ball from midfield into the penalty area of New Zealand and shot diagonally to defeat goalkeeper Marinovic.
The match score was set in the 90+1 minute. The player who replaced Ronaldo in the middle of the second half Nani had a dangerous shot, giving the opposing goalkeeper no chance to block it.
This 4-0 victory brought the top spot in Group A to Portugal in the final match because in the match at the same time, the DT Mexico defeated the host team Russia with a score of 2-1. Portugal has 7 points like Mexico after 3 matches but is ranked higher due to higher secondary index. With only 3 points, Russia and New Zealand had to stop after the group stage.
