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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to snatch a slender win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team 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 suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.