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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp decisive strike in their World Cup clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves found the net during injury time to secure a 1-0 win, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad looked set to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

However, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F games having produced only a single point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after a Portuguese player’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s hand.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past Kelleher.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

The Hungarian team boosted their chances of advancing by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, moving above their opponents into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points in second-half added time.

England’s Group

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to Albania, with the result meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken volley in late stoppage time.

Latvia difficulties in Group K continued as they were held to a two-all draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Spain’s Group

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in the match venue. The result extended the European champions’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without conceding.

In spite of the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and Rodri due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their dominance against a Georgia team that passed most of the match sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% of the ball, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece move, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved a Spanish player’s penalty.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to stay close to Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s Arda Güler was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least making the knockout stage with a comfortable victory away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or Israel. We are aware of our responsibilities.”

Italy missed out for the previous two World Cups, twice missing out in the qualifying rounds, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely opportunity after Norway’s 5-0 hammering over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. Estonia remain fourth on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the playoffs.

Italy face their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal ratio means a playoff spot probably beckons for the Italian squad.