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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to claim a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held 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 initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures 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 sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways 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 one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.