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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to claim a narrow triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

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

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group games having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.