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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

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

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K 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 initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, 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 over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.