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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during added time to secure a narrow triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the points in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.