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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to snatch a narrow win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

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

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held 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 continued their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears 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 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.