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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to secure a narrow victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game 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 goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.