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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to claim a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 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. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.