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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to snatch a 1-0 win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

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

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.