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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had denied a penalty from the veteran forward.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to snatch a 1-0 triumph, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought draw, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having produced only a solitary draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s penalty.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy 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 Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.