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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a neat volley in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E run with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.