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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to claim a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso 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, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.