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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Summary

Neves headed home during injury time to secure a narrow victory, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

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

However, the defeat puts them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a single point. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s shot had struck Dara O’Shea’s hand.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their hopes of advancing by picking up their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in late added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the visitors late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the European champions’ perfect record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players 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 Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side controlled the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a stunning set-piece after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or our next opponents. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering 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 competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. Estonia remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch Norway on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a qualifying place likely beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.