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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during injury time to secure a slender triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a solitary point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on eighteen points from six games. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.