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

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances 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 lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes 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 dominant Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.