Cristiano Ronaldo to lead Portugal squad

Portugal coach Paulo Bento unveiled his 23-man squad on Thursday that will travel to Russia on October 12 before returning to take on Northern Ireland on October 16 in Porto, for the upcoming rounds of 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo leads Bento’s team that are coming off victories over Luxembourg and Azerbaijan and take on unbeaten Russia at the top of Group F. The one surprise sprung by the Portuguese handler was the inclusion of 24-year-old uncapped defender Luis Neto, while striker Eder keeps his place after impressing on his debut last September.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon), Eduardo (Istanbul BB/TUR), Beto (Sporting Braga).
Defenders: Joao Pereira (Valencia/ESP), Miguel Lopes (Porto), Bruno Alves (Zenit St-Petersburg/RUS), Pepe (Real Madrid/ESP), Luis Neto (Sienna, ITA), Sereno (Valladolid/ESP), Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid/ESP).
Midfielders: Miguel Veloso (Dynamo Kiev/UKR), Custodio (Sporting Braga), Raul Meireles (Chelsea/ENG), Joao Moutinho (Porto), Ruben Amorim (Sporting Braga), Ruben Micael (Sporting Braga).
Strikers: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/ESP), Nani (Manchester United/ENG), Varela (Porto), Helder Postiga (Real Zaragoza/ESP), Pizzi (Deportivo La Coruna/ESP), Nelson Oliveira (Deportivo La Coruna/ESP), Eder (Sporting Braga).
Brandao in clear over rape charge: Brazilian footballer Brandao is in the clear over a rape case after the alleged victim opted not to appeal a decision last week that saw charges against him dismissed for lack of evidence. Brandao, currently playing for French side St Etienne, was accused of rape by a young woman who claimed that he attacked her in his car after offering to drive her home from a nightclub in Aix-en-Provence, near Marseille, in March 2011.
But the examining magistrate on Friday dismissed the charges following “inconsistencies and contradictions” in the plaintiff’s case.
The accuser had opted not to challenge the ruling, according to her lawyer Emmanuel Molina on Thursday.
The alleged incident occurred when Brandao was playing for Marseille, whom he joined from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2009. He was later loaned to Brazilian clubs Cruzeiro and Gremio in a bid to avoid media scrutiny.
The striker returned to Marseille in January this year but last month signed a two-year deal with Ligue 1 rivals St Etienne.