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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to secure a 1-0 win, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.