The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to snatch a narrow triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.
Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.
Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying spot.
The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.
The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss 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 only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.
Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.
Spain maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.
In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.
Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.
The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”
Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.
Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.
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