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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to claim a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically 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 mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.