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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to secure a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a qualifying spot.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of their next opponents. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy 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 ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.