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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to claim a narrow victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.