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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to secure a narrow victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

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

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, 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. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.