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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having yielded only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward 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 Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for his team with a neat volley in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, 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 controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared playoff path now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.