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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to claim a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.