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The Portuguese midfielder came to the rescue for Portugal with a injury-time winner in their World Cup qualifying encounter against the Republic of Ireland, following Caoimhín Kelleher had saved a penalty from the veteran forward.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during added time to claim a slender triumph, four years 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 left empty-handed, despite regaining a good deal of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the recollections of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

However, the defeat leaves them staring down the barrel, with their initial trio of Group F games having yielded only a solitary point. They must defeat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a qualifying place.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper seemed to have earned Ireland a draw when he superbly kept out Ronaldo’s penalty with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s shot had hit an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the first minute of stoppage time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary enhanced their chances of qualifying by picking up their first win with a two-goal triumph over the Armenian side, moving above their rivals into second place behind the group leaders in the standings. A Hungarian forward provided his team the advantage in the first half and Zsombor Gruber secured the points 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 England can now secure their qualification from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the only goal for Albania with a neat shot in late added time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group continued as they were held to a 2-2 tie at home by the Andorran team. An Andorran player scored for the away side 12 minutes from time to earn them their first point of the qualifiers and prolong Latvia’s poor form to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their impressive Group E run with a 2-0 win over the Georgian side after goals from Jéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The win extended the title holders’ perfect record in the qualifiers, having notched 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

Despite the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, Luis de la Fuente’s side demonstrated their superiority against a Georgia team that spent the majority of the game sitting back. The home side dominated the encounter with more than 80% possession, and Georgia did not have one shot on target or generate a clear chance, with only goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili averting a heavy defeat.

The scorer opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a well-executed set-piece routine, and Oyarzabal wrapped up the victory in the second period with a spectacular free kick after the Georgian keeper had denied Ferran Torres’s spot-kick.

Additional Results

• The Turkish national team returned to winning ways with a 6-1 thrashing over Bulgaria to keep the pressure on the group leaders in Group E. Real Madrid’s a young talent was one of the goal-getters.
• The Italian squad improved their prospects of at least making the qualifying playoffs with a comfortable victory away to the Estonian team, thanks to strikes from a forward, another attacker, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso said: “We’re not thinking about Norway or our next opponents. We know our responsibilities.”

Italy failed to qualify for the previous two global tournaments, twice falling short in the playoffs, and the feared backdoor route now looks their primary opportunity after the Norwegian team’s comprehensive win over the Israeli side in their qualifying group. The Norwegians are top on 18 points from six matches. The Italians have twelve points with a match less played on their rivals and are three points ahead of Israel. The Estonian squad remain in fourth place on three points. The top teams qualify directly for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

The Italian national team face Israel on Tuesday, where a win would cement second spot and, while they can still theoretically overtake Norway on the table, the leaders’ much better goal difference means a playoff spot probably awaits for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.