🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to snatch a 1-0 victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway 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 their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.