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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

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

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the match 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 shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing 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 second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.