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

Game Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to snatch a narrow win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a stubborn Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of honor with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Results

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late added time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss 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 first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the absence of players such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match defending deep. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a heavy defeat.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.