🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to claim a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 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. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a neat shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken 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.

Other Scores

• 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 one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians 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 top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.