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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a narrow victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• 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.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.