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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves headed home during stoppage time to secure a 1-0 win, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Key Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by securing their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ flawless run in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three matches without conceding.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. Spain dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was one of the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, 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 18 points from six games. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.