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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave his team the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.