Portugal gains 1-0 advantage over Sweden in first leg of World Cup playoff

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo broke Sweden's resistance late in the FIFA World Cup play-off tie against his side Portugal on Friday at the Stadium of Light to give them a 1-0 advantage in the game in Lisbon.

The second leg between the two sides will take place at Solna's Friends Arena on Tuesday, and it promises to be another fascinating contest, with the impetus now on Sweden to attack, having set their stall out to defend for long periods during the first leg.

According to the BBC, although Portugal was frustrated for a long time by a disciplined Sweden side, which included Johan Elmander, Sebastian Larsson and Kim Kallstrom, however, Ronaldo's goal in the 82nd minute ended Sweden's domination and led Portugal to a hard-fought victory in the game.

The home side's best chance of the half came in the first five minutes when Ronaldo and Raul Meireles combined before feeding Joao Moutinho, who drifted round keeper Andreas Isaksson before firing into the side-netting, the report added.