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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to snatch a slender triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having yielded only a single draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his trailing leg after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of advancing by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

Latvia struggles in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without conceding.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter 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 Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• Italy improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary chance after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are a trio of points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.