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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves nodded in during injury time to secure a narrow win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a battling performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of securing a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the lead in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the decisive strike for his team with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the visitors late on from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

Spain continued their dominant qualifying group run with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored eleven strikes in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece move, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for the Italian squad.