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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to claim a 1-0 win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen 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 remain in fourth place 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 their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.