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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to snatch a slender win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.