🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to snatch a slender victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia 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 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of 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 their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.