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The Portuguese midfielder was the hero for the Portuguese side with a dramatic decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, after Caoimhín Kelleher had kept out a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Overview

Neves headed home during injury time to secure a 1-0 triumph, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a stubborn Ireland team.

The Irish squad appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a hard-fought draw, but ultimately suffered defeat, despite restoring a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing defeat in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the loss leaves them staring down the barrel, with their first three Group F matches having yielded only a single point. They need to defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to keep alive any hope of securing a playoff spot.

Major Moments

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have secured Ireland a draw when he brilliantly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had hit Dara O’Shea’s arm.
• Neves came to his side’s rescue in the opening moments of added time when he directed Trincão’s cross past Kelleher.

Additional Qualifying Outcomes

Group F

Hungary boosted their hopes of qualifying by securing their first win with a two-goal triumph over Armenia, climbing above their rivals into second place behind Portugal in Group F. Daniel Lukacs provided Hungary the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the victory in late stoppage time.

England’s Group

The Serbian national team slipped to a narrow defeat at home to the Albanian squad, with the result meaning England can now seal their qualification from Group K by beating Latvia on Tuesday. An Albanian striker scored the only goal for Albania with a well-taken shot in first-half stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in Group K persisted as they were held to a two-all tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to five games.

Spain’s Group

Spain continued their dominant Group E campaign with a comfortable victory over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and his teammate in the match venue. The win extended the European champions’ flawless record in qualifying, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of key figures such as a talented winger, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to injuries, the Spanish squad demonstrated their superiority against a Georgian team that spent the majority of the game defending deep. Spain controlled the match with more than 80% of the ball, and Georgia did not have a single attempt on target or generate a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer broke the deadlock in the first half from a expertly taken dead-ball routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a stunning free kick after the Georgian keeper had saved Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a comprehensive 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 knockout stage with a 3-1 victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to goals from a forward, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

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

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, on two occasions falling short in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now appears their primary chance after Norway’s comprehensive win over Israel in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. Italy have 12 points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of their next opponents. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, with the second-placed sides entering the qualifying stage.

Italy host their rivals on Tuesday, where a win would secure second spot and, while they can still theoretically catch the group leaders on the table, the leaders’ far superior goal ratio means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.