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

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder found the net during injury time to claim a narrow triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their dominant Group E run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay 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 the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.