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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

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

Additional Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in late added time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E run with a comfortable victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal ratio means a qualifying place probably beckons for the Italian squad.