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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side 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 Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to secure a narrow victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K 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 Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ perfect 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 a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for the Italian squad.