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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to claim a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 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 comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.