The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.
Game Summary
The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a narrow win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.
The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.
However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.
Key Incidents
- The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
- The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.
Other Group Results
Portugal’s Group
Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.
England’s Group
The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.
Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.
Spain’s Group
The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.
In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.
Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.
Other Scores
- Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
- The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.
The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”
The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place 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 the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.
