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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to claim a slender triumph, 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 ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side 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 Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.