🔗 Share this article

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

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to claim a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

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

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.