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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to snatch a slender triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit 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 the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.