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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to claim a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, 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 Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri 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 primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.