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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to claim a slender triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled 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 preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching 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.

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

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.