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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to claim a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

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

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of 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 second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.