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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.