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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to secure a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.