Portugal beats Estonia 4-0 in qualifier

LEIRIA, Portugal (AP) -- Second-half substitute Helder Postiga scored twice and Cristiano Ronaldo added another as Portugal tallied four times in the final 15 minutes to beat Estonia 4-0 in a World Cup qualifying match Wednesday.

Ronaldo headed in a Deco cross in the 75th minute to end Portugal's frustration against a defensive Estonia.

The Manchester United teen-ager crossed from the right flank for Postiga to tap in at the back post in the 83rd to double the lead. And after Pedro Pauleta tallied in the 87th, Ronaldo crossed for Postiga to head in his second in injury time.

The 19-year-old winger, who has replaced the retired Luis Figo, also scored and assisted on a goal in Portugal's 2-0 win over Latvia on Saturday in its opening qualifier.

The victory gave Portugal six points from its two matches in European Group 3, one point behind Slovakia, which has played one more game. Estonia also has six points.

Pauleta's goal was the Paris Saint-Germain striker's second in two qualifying games, outleaping his marker to head in a cross to give Portugal a 3-0 advantage.

Despite its ball skills, the Portuguese struggled to create chances early. Estonia's compact, muscular defense stifled Portugal's attack, and key Portuguese players struggled, especially Brazilian-born playmaker Deco.

Estonia nearly led in the first half when Raio Piiroja beat Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo Pereira to a cross in the 20th minute, but Francisco Costinha cleared the ball off the line.

In the mostly uneventful first half, Pedro Pauleta and Nuno Maniche managed only week long-range efforts in the 25th and 35th minutes as Estonia smothered Portugal's offense with numbers.

The Portuguese were sharper after the break and Paulo Ferreira hit a low cross for Costinha at the back post in the 47th minute. The midfielder tapped the ball towards goal but Mart Poom, making his 100th appearance, got down to keep it out.

At the other end, an Andres Oper header hit the post and Pereira scrambled to keep out the rebound.

Helder Postiga came on in the 56th minute to form a three-man front line as Portugal stepped up its attack until Ronaldo's breakthrough.

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Portugal: Ricardo Pereira; Paulo Ferreira, Jorge Andrade, Ricardo Carvalho, Rui Jorge (Miguel 56th); Francisco Costinha, Nuno Maniche (Helder Postiga 45th), Deco, Cristiano Ronaldo, Simao Sabrosa (Luis Boa Morte 70th); Pedro Pauleta

Estonia: Mart Poom; Teet Allas, Enar Jaager, Liivo Leetma, Raio Piiroja, Urmas Rooba (Ragnar Klavan 45th), Marin Reim, Sergei Terehhov (Vjatsheslav Zahovaiko 71st), Andres Oper, Joel Lindpere, Ingemar Teever (Kristen Viikmae, 62nd).