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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to snatch a 1-0 win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.