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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during injury time to claim a narrow victory, several seasons after Ronaldo 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 left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a solitary point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.