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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, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to secure a 1-0 win, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 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 qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed 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 scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.