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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during stoppage time to claim a slender victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.