🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to claim a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated 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 their keeper averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making 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 said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.