Portugal player ratings vs Ireland: Cristiano Ronaldo is a lucky boy! Ruben Neves grabs last-gasp winner sporting Diogo Jota's No.21 shirt after talisman's missed penalty

Ruben Neves rose highest to nod in a late winner for Portugal to beat a resilient Irish defence 1-0 in Lisbon. The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the hosts who had looked as if they would never beat the superb Caoimhin Kelleher in the Irish goal, particularly after their captain Cristiano Ronaldo had his penalty saved by the Brentford shot-stopper.

Heimir Hallgrimsson's side quickly had all 11 men behind the ball as their plan to soak up pressure and hit Portugal on the break was made clear. The Irish defence held strong throughout much of the opening stages, confining Roberto Martinez’s men to swing in hopeful crosses and pot shots from distance.

One of those long-range efforts nearly made the difference as Cristiano Ronaldo came closest to opening the scoring after 16 minutes. His low effort from distance hit the upright, before Bernardo Silva scuffed wide the rebound with the goal gaping, angering his captain.

The hosts kept probing and the visitors kept firm, thanks in part to some solid shot stopping from Brentford’s Kelleher. The goalkeeper produced a strong hand to stop Goncalo Inacio’s header from a Bruno Fernandes corner before Nathan Collins blocked from Bernardo Silva just before the break.

Portugal stepped up the intensity in the second-half, feeding Ronaldo a fair few more half chances, but the veteran striker could only snatch at them. The Portuguese midfielders kept knocking on the door, firing efforts from distance, before eventually one paid off.

After 73 minutes, Francisco Trincao, looking to curl an effort into the top corner, had his shot blocked by Dara O’Shea, and the referee judged the ball to have struck the Ipswich defender’s arm. Ronaldo, making his 50th appearance in World Cup qualifiers, stepped up and hit his effort straight down the middle – saved by the outstretched leg of Kelleher.

Just when Portugal looked all out of luck, Trincao was again at the heart of the drama. His 91st minute cross from deep was swung into the middle and was met by Ruben Neves’ head, nicking the ball just ahead of the desperate Kelleher punch. It was fitting that Neves, the midfielder wearing 21 in honour of his late friend and team-mate Diogo Jota, scored the winner on Portugal's first home game since Jota's death in July.

GOAL rates Portugal's players from Estadio Jose Alvalade...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Diogo Costa (6/10):
Costa had nothing to do all game aside from watching the one Irish shot fly well over his crossbar.
Diogo Dalot (7/10):
Was tasked with handling the tricky Chiedozie Ogbene and managed well.
Ruben Dias (7/10):
Was impressive at the back and maintained concentration when Ireland sprang on the break.
Goncalo Inacio (6/10):
Did not have an awful lot of defending to do, but was a threat in the Irish box. His header was saved well by Kelleher.
Nuno Mendes (7/10):
A constant threat down the Portuguese left-flank, but could not make the all-important difference.

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Midfield
Ruben Neves (9/10):
At the heart of the Portuguese midfield and dictated much of the attacking play. He would turn out to be the hero with a late header.
Vitinha (8/10):
Tidy on the ball and helped control the tempo alongside Neves in the middle of the park.
Bruno Fernandes (6/10):
Threatened with a few efforts from distance, but lacked that final perfect pass.
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Attack
Bernardo Silva (5/10):
The Irish defence were not troubled by the Manchester City man who missed a first half sitter.
Cristiano Ronaldo (5/10):
Fashioned himself a number of good opportunities, but snatched at the chances that did land his way. His weak penalty down the middle was stopped brilliantly by Kelleher.
Pedro Neto (6/10):
Was bright throughout, but his crosses never quite found their target. Neto was eventually outshone by his replacements.

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Subs & Manager
Renato Veiga (6/10):
Took over Inacio's role at the heart of defence and offered pace at the back when Ireland came forward.
Nelson Semedo (6/10):
Did not offer too much difference to Dalot and had little impact.
Francisco Trincao (8/10):
A brilliant cameo off of the bench from the former Barcelona man. He won the penalty and then set up the winner.
Goncalo Ramos (N/A):
Offered an extra body in the box for the final ten minutes.
Roberto Martinez (7/10):
It looked as if Martinez's side would be dropping two points, but his introduction of Trincao changed the game.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

Subs & Manager