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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a 1-0 victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• 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

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.