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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder headed home during stoppage time to snatch a narrow victory, four years after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for the Italian squad.