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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winning goal in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to snatch a narrow win, several seasons after Ronaldo had bagged a brace at the death to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned point, but in the end left empty-handed, despite regaining a significant amount of pride with a gritty display that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

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

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a point when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• The match-winner saved Portugal in the opening moments of stoppage time when he headed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Additional Group Outcomes

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the opening period and a teammate made sure of the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

The Serbian national team suffered a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now seal their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj scored the only goal for his team with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side struggles in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all tie at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the away side late on from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their impressive qualifying group campaign with a comfortable win over Georgia after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the title holders’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match defending deep. The home side controlled the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball move, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s penalty.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive thrashing over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the scorers.
• Italy boosted their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We know what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, on two occasions falling short in the qualifying rounds, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are top on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a victory would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on the table, the Norwegians’ far superior goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.