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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Summary

Neves found the net during injury time to snatch a slender win, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying 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 rivals into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ perfect run in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.