The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.
The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to snatch a slender victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.
The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.
Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff spot.
The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.
Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.
The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.
The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.
In spite of the unavailability of players 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 encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.
The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.
Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”
Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.
Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.
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