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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to secure a slender victory, several seasons after the star striker had scored twice at the death to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a significant amount of honor with a battling display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them facing elimination, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• 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

Group F

The Hungarian team enhanced their hopes of advancing by securing their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave Hungary the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat volley in first-half added time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in Elche. The win continued the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors 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 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy missed out for the last two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Italy face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.