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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to snatch a narrow win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

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

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes 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 know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.