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

Game Overview

The Wolves midfielder headed home during injury time to secure a 1-0 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 hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate 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 dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.