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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a last-gasp winner in their World Cup clash against Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had denied a spot-kick from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to secure a narrow triumph, several seasons after the star striker had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Irish side.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought point, but in the end suffered defeat, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a gritty performance that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s disappointing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss puts them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of qualifying group matches having yielded only a single point. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any chance of securing a qualifying place.

Major Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have earned Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s hand.
• The match-winner came to his side’s rescue in the first minute of added time when he headed Trincão’s cross past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Outcomes

Portugal’s Group

The Hungarian team enhanced their chances of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal victory over the Armenian side, climbing above their opponents into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. Daniel Lukacs gave his team the advantage in the first half and a teammate secured the victory in late stoppage time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now seal their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

Latvia struggles in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Andorran team. Ian Olivera found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their initial draw of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s poor form to five games.

Group E

The Spanish national team continued their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 victory over Georgia after strikes from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The result extended the title holders’ perfect run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the absence of key figures such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri due to injuries, Luis de la Fuente’s side showcased their superiority against a Georgian team that passed most of the match sitting back. Spain dominated the match with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only shot-stopper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a expertly taken set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal secured the win in the second period with a stunning free kick after Mamardashvili had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• Turkey bounced back with a comprehensive thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on Spain in their section. The Spanish club’s a young talent was among the scorers.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable win away to Estonia, thanks to strikes from Moise Kean, another attacker, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

The Italian coach commented: “We’re not thinking about the group leaders 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 feared backdoor route now appears their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in Group I. Norway are leading on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are a trio of points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad stay in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

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