Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. will again have to take the hard route to a World Cup after Portugal were stunned by Serbia in Sunday's qualifier.
A last-gasp goal from Aleksandar Mitrovic stunned the Selecao das Quinas.
Here is how the Portuguese and Spanish press reacted to Portugal's disappointing performance...
SAPO: Is Portugal's defeat against Serbia really a surprise? Only for the less attentive
The Portuguese triumph in the Nations League in 2019 will have been the last time that the 'Equipa das Quinas' managed to showcase all their quality on the pitch against high-level opposition.
The difficulties that Portugal has had in the last games against middle and upper-class teams in Europe have been notorious. The defeat against Serbia - the team that is currently ranked 25th place in the world ranking, served to expose these weaknesses.
After defeating Serbia 4-2 in the Euro 2020 qualifiers, Portugal were then defeated by Ukraine (2-1) and in their homeland they failed to overcome the Serbian after a 1-1 draw.
Portugal qualified second in the group behind Ukraine as a result - but still qualified for the Euro 2020.
Diario de Noticias: Portugal fails all calculations and is obliged to save themselves in the playoff
The national team was whistled off the pitch after the defeat to Serbia who won for the first time in a duel against Portugal and booked a place in next year's World Cup. Fernando Santo's game strategy leaves many questions unanswered.
How does a team score a goal within the first two minutes and then lose a game where a draw would have been enough to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. This is the summary of Portugal's game against Serbia at Estadio da Luz which sees Serbia in the World Cup after an unprecedented triumph.
Portugal who finished in second place will now compete in the playoff in March to try and book a place in Qatar.
Eight changes made amid a deceiver early goal
The players were still positioning themselves on the field when Bernardo Silva went against their defence and took the ball from Gudelj near the Serbian box. Renato Sanches was nearby and fired it into the back of the net. The goal earned the Serbian boss a yellow card after he protested about a possible foul of the Manchester City midfielder.
After Serbia's equaliser, a big change was needed ahead of the second half - attitude and aggression as a team.
They asked for more of Ronaldo, more of Jota and more of Joao Cancelo... But that came to nothing.
ABola: Should Fernando Santos maintain his managerial position?
Fernando Santos is in the eye of the public after the defeat against Serbia at Estadio da Luz which sent Portugal to the play-off in an attempt to access the 2022 World Cup.
A coach since September 2014, Santos renewed his contract just over a year ago through to June 2024. He took Portugal through an unprecedented achievement of winning a European title, as well as the first edition of the Nations League, becoming Portugal's coach with most wins in charge.
In recent games however, there have been criticisms of the style of play implemented, taking into consideration the immense quality of the players that he has at his disposal. The poor draw against Ireland was followed by an unexpected defeat against Serbia, putting doubt over Portugal's potential to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
It was a promising start. Portugal's first shot on goal against Serbia in a decisive game for the Portuguese side to qualify for the World Cup - resulted in a goal.
An atmosphere of euphoria at Estadio da Luz after an individual mistake from Gudelj, led to Renato Sanches' goal. Was the most complicated thing done? Pure mistake. A period of suffering followed especially in the first half, against a sharp Serbian side, more pressing and intelligent in exploiting Portugal's open spaces.
"The Portuguese team will now play the play-off amid an identity crisis with a coach and several players questioning their futures.
"Portugal had to avoid defeat and they came so close to it that it became swallowed up by darkness. A deserved punishment, the price to pay for the excess of conservatism in Dublin and London."
"Their defeat in front of their public against Serbia has jeopardised their chance of qualifying for the Qatar World Cup 2022 - the greatest bomb so far in the tournament. An earthquake that has shaken the neighbouring country."
Bruno Fernandes is not the same as that Manchester United player.
"If the bad times of Portugal can be reflected on someone, it is Bruno Fernandes. A talented player, one of the best in 2021 at club level but is going through a big bump on the road at international level.
"Bruno arrived as one of the tournament's key players but it has only led up to being one of the disappointments, leading him to be on the substitutes' bench. Against Serbia, he was substituted in the 64th minute and his contribution was zero to none. Portugal needed its most creative player.
"Everything he has achieved in the last 21 months at Manchester United including 44 goals in 96 appearances, he has been punished whenever he wears that Portugal and that is something many cannot understand."
Ronaldo who was captured sat on the pitch in tears later left a message on social media: "The result was harsh but not enough to take us down.
"Football has shown us time and time again that it is the most disturbing path that leads us to the most desired outcomes. Our aim is to be present in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and is a dream that is still very much alive and we know what we have to do to get there, without any excuses."
