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The Portuguese midfielder saved the day for Portugal with a dramatic winner in their World Cup encounter against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a spot-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Game Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to claim a narrow victory, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to defeat a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to depart the Portuguese capital with a well-earned point, but ultimately left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of honor with a battling performance that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their first three qualifying group games having produced only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Major Moments

• Kelleher looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his trailing leg after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Other Group Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by picking up their first win with a 2-0 victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their rivals into the runner-up spot behind the group leaders in Group F. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the lead in the first half and a teammate made sure of the points in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

Serbia slipped to a narrow loss at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker netted the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in Group K persisted as they were forced to a 2-2 draw at home by Andorra. Ian Olivera scored 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 five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain maintained their impressive Group E campaign with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after strikes from a Spanish attacker and his teammate in the match venue. The result continued the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three games without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that passed the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the match with over eighty percent possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a rout.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on Spain in Group E. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad boosted their prospects of at least reaching the knockout stage with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach said: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

The Azzurri missed out for the last two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s 5-0 hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. Italy have twelve points with a match less played on their competitors and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would cement the runner-up position and, while they can still theoretically overtake the group leaders on points, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably beckons for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.