🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to secure a 1-0 triumph, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory 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 the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

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 leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.