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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to claim a narrow triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. 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 goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

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