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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to snatch a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor 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 first three Group F matches having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents 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 victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.