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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a narrow victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring 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 puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F 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 Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, 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 what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.