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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to secure a slender win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, 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 defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’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 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.