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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to claim a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team 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 the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.