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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winner in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a 1-0 win, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in late added time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched 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 the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “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 playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 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 rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.