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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.