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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to claim a narrow win, four years 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 well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three 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 entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.