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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to claim a narrow triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players 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 defending deep. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.