After eliminating European champions Italy last Thursday and reaching their first-ever World Cup finals, North Macedonia travels to Portugal in the hopes of grabbing a second significant scalp.
On Sunday, Elmas observed, "Frankly, this might be one of the most challenging and exciting matches for all of us."
"We have 90 minutes to realize not only our own, but the entire country's childhood dream."
"Simply put, we have to understand that we can't afford to miss this opportunity and that we must 'burn' on the field in order to get to Qatar."
North Macedonia will be looking for a fourth consecutive away win, but they will be up against a Portugal side that will be boosted by the presence of Ronaldo, who, at 37, is unlikely to play in football's quadrennial global showpiece again.
"We defeated a giant in Italy, but there is still one more step to the World Cup." "We hope to win on Tuesday," Ezgjan Alioski, a winger, stated.
"We don't want to jeopardize Cristiano Ronaldo's career, but we feel we can beat Portugal."
Portugal and North Macedonia have only met once previously, in a 2012 friendly that ended in a goalless tie.
Despite the difficult task ahead, Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, has been vibrating with football passion since last week's victory.
"Portugal has an excellent team, and Macedonia faces a difficult battle." "We all want Macedonia to win and be a part of the World Cup," Boban Ilijevski, a Skopje resident, told AFP.
Following the republic's independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1993, the Balkan nation of less than two million people hosted its first international match.
Despite its small population, the team has had some recent success, qualifying for Euro 2020 and defeating Germany in a 2022 World Cup qualifier in Duisburg last year.
