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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during added time to secure a slender triumph, four years after the star striker had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F matches having produced only a single draw. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of claiming a qualifying spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 triumph over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a clear chance, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to the group leaders in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are top on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.