🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken shot in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.