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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to secure a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter 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 Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.