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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, 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 his team with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely 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 competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.