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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to secure a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated 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 Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy 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 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.