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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to claim a slender victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn 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 battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• 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 the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.