Heading into the final day of the group stage of World Cup qualifying in Europe, Portugal requires a mini-miracle to overtake first-place Russia in Group F and avoid a two-game playoff with an opponent to be determined.

After yielding a late goal to visiting Israel and settling for one point on Friday, Portugal trails Russia by 3 points before its match against lowly Luxembourg. Russia plays at Azerbaijan needing only a point to win the group.

And while Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo prepared for the final two qualifiers last week, the Real Madrid star took time out to send a letter to officials in Florida in defense of the man who jumped out of the stands at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., last summer and embraced Ronaldo in perhaps the sweetest, most benign on-field encounter between a fan and a player in sporting history. (Note that Ronaldo received a yellow card in the match against Israel and is suspended for Tuesday’s game. While he will miss the low-risk match against Luxembourg, the yellow card on Friday ensures that he has a clean disciplinary slate for a potential playoff.)