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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’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 three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.