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

Match Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to secure a slender victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them facing elimination, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Group Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in late added time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player 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 maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino 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 free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.