Cristiano Ronaldo looked dejected sitting on the floor after Portugal were stunned by Serbia 2-1 in the last minute in the 2022 World Cup qualifier match on Sunday.

Serbia directly qualified for the World Cup after this victory, while Ronaldo and his teammates will have to play two one-off playoff matches in March next year to fight for the last chance to qualify and sustain their record of participation in every major tournament since the 1998 World Cup.

Renato Sanches opened the scoring for Portugal only two minutes after the game started. Serbia, however, quickly adjusted themselves and dominated the remainder of the first half and equalized the match in the 33rd minute with a goal from Dusan Tadic. Serbia's Aleksandar Mitrovic seized the chance to score right before the stoppage time and sealed the deal at 2-1.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Spain and Croatia also secured their places in Qatar thanks to 1-0 wins over Sweden and Russia, respectively.

Spain made sure they avoided the playoffs as Alvaro Morata's goal four minutes from time ended Sweden's resistance in Seville, Spain.

Croatia needed a late winner as an own goal from Fedor Kudryashov snatched qualification from Russia in a battle in boggy conditions in Split, Croatia.

Germany had long since booked their place in Qatar, but rounded off their qualifying campaign with a 4-1 thrashing of Armenia as Ilkay Gundogan scored twice.

North Macedonia secured the playoff place behind the four-time world champions with a 3-1 win over Iceland.

(With input from AFP)