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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major 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 effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to 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 netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. 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 feared backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.