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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having yielded only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss 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. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.