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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to claim a slender triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia 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.

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