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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup match against Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad looked set to depart the Portuguese capital with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary draw. They must beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of securing a playoff place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary enhanced their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in the standings. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate secured the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to Albania, with the result meaning England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken shot in first-half added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive qualifying group campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Georgian side after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

Despite the absence of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the first half from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the win in the second period with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Other Results

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

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

The Azzurri missed out for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on eighteen points from six games. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners advance automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

The Italian national team face their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a qualifying place probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.