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

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to secure a slender victory, 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 suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played 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 runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.