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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to claim a narrow triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their initial trio of qualifying group games having produced only a solitary point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the points in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on points, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.