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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to secure a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory 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.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, 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 World Cups, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.