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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to snatch a 1-0 win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance 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 initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.