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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to claim a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

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

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.