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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to snatch a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.