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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to secure a slender victory, four years after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in the standings. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their passage from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the decisive strike for his team with a neat shot in first-half added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their dominant Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect run in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the match with over eighty percent of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the scorers.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, on two occasions missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay fourth on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.