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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to secure a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.