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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal 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 the veteran forward.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to claim a 1-0 win, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set 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 gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face 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 leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.