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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to claim a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

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

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

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

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.