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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.