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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to secure a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.