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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal 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 injury time to snatch a narrow win, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning 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 stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.