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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to snatch a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 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 top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.