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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to snatch a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately 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.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of claiming a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by picking up 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 Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in second-half stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Other Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.