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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to claim a narrow win, four years after Ronaldo 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 draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games 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, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.