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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for the Portuguese side with a injury-time winning goal in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to claim a slender win, four years after Ronaldo had scored twice late on to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the memories of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a point when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in first-half stoppage time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were forced to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win continued the European champions’ flawless run in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We are aware of what we have to do.”

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded backdoor route now looks their primary chance after Norway’s 5-0 win over the Israeli side in Group I. Norway are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points clear of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically overtake Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot likely awaits for the Italian squad.