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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during added time to secure a slender win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win continued the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, 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 over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.