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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during injury time to claim a 1-0 victory, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

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