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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic 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 injury time to secure a slender win, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted 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 claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• Turkey 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 Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad 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 host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.