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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to snatch a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved 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 stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored 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 five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute 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 penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win 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 a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.