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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to claim a slender win, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.