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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to snatch a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat 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 scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel 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 three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.