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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

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

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 battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 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 several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.