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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to claim a slender win, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.