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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a 1-0 win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming 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 outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after goals 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 letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 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. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.