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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 victory, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat 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 netted the only goal for his team with a neat shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players 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 Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.