🔗 Share this article

The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to claim a slender triumph, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The result continued the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.