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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to snatch a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• 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 struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.