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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

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

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted 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, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.