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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to claim a narrow triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.