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

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to secure a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. 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 winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt 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 well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

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 a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.