🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder nodded in during added time to claim a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Group Results

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team 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. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled 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 shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.