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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to secure a narrow triumph, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot 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 Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.