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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to secure a slender victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. 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.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.