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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to claim a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. 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 clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.