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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to secure a narrow win, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.