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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to secure a slender victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

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

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved 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, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.