Portugal beats Chile 2-1 in World Cup prep friendly

Portugal secured a 2-1 victory over Chile in a pre-World Cup friendly on Saturday in Oeiras, near Lisbon. The match served as preparation for the upcoming 2026 World Cup, which kicks off in North America next Thursday.

Both teams played with 10 men after Rafael Leão of Portugal and Ivan Román of Chile were sent off for fighting in first-half stoppage time. The first half ended goalless.

Goncalo Guedes, who replaced Cristiano Ronaldo, opened the scoring for Portugal in the second half with a pass from Ruben Neves in the 58th minute. Bruno Fernandes, a star for Manchester United, added a second goal in the 75th minute with a long-range shot. Chile, who will not participate in the World Cup, managed to pull one back in the final seconds through another long-range effort from Lucas Cepeda.

Portugal will play one more friendly against Nigeria on Wednesday before traveling to the United States. Their World Cup campaign begins on June 17 in Houston against the Democratic Republic of Congo, followed by a match against Uzbekistan on June 23. They will conclude their group stage play against Colombia in Miami four days later.