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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to snatch a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable 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 our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.