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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against Ireland, following the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during stoppage time to snatch a slender triumph, several seasons after Ronaldo had scored twice at the death to defeat a resilient Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a gritty performance that erased some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them in a difficult position, with their first three qualifying group matches having produced only a solitary draw. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any chance of claiming a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• Kelleher looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Additional Group Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward provided Hungary the lead in the opening period and Zsombor Gruber made sure of the victory in second-half stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team suffered a 1-0 loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their qualification from Group K by defeating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the decisive strike for Albania with a well-taken volley in late added time.

Latvia difficulties in their group persisted as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored for the visitors 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

Spain maintained their dominant qualifying group run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless record in the qualifiers, having scored eleven strikes in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of players such as a talented winger, another forward, and Rodri due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. The home side controlled the encounter with more than 80% possession, and the visitors did not have a single attempt on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili preventing a rout.

Pino opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed dead-ball move, and Oyarzabal secured the victory in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Other Scores

• Turkey returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over the Bulgarian side to stay close to Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their most likely chance after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. The Norwegians are leading on eighteen points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their rivals and are three points clear of Israel. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up entering the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a victory would cement second spot and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on the table, the Norwegians’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot likely beckons for the Italian squad.