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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to claim a narrow win, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

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

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.